My Guardian Angel
by xedwardxxloverx
Summary: Bella asks Edward if she can take a ride in Edward's Volvo...alone. What will happen when Bella gets in a deadly car accident and becomes blind? Can Edward and Bella's relationship survive when she can never see again?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I don't know why, but last night I had a dream about Edward and Bella. And then I thought I should document it, and then I figured, why not put it on fanfic? Lol. I know that this is kind of going to be crashing with my other stories...and that if any of you reading this are reading any of my other stories, you know I nearly never update anymore...sorry! But I STILL won't be able to update unless it's on the weekends. [ My grades are going lower...not good for my whole wanting to update thing. But enjoy while you can! **

**Disclaimer: hmm...let me think...nope, not mine, just the plot! **

**Bella's POV**

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I smiled unconsciously in my sleep. I was having another sweet dream...Edward and I are in out meadow together, basking in the rare Forks sunlight...he's sparkling marvelously...I reached over to touch him, and my fingers trailed slowly across his pale, marble skin...

I moaned out loud. Surprising myself, my eyes opened, soon meeting Edward's.

"Oh, now I'm curious," Edward said, searching my eyes for some answer he wanted.

I reached up and rubbed my eyes. "And what might that be about?"

"Why you were moaning at the end of your dream, of course," he said, making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

I stopped rubbing my eyes suddenly, and my face grew hot. He saw that, and lowered my arms from my face. His fingers brushed across my cheeks, not helping with the blush. He knew that.

I rolled over, preventing him from seeing my face. "Go away," I mumbled, not really meaning it, but I just wanted to prove the point.

He pulled back slowly. "Well, if you want me to..."

I poked one eye out to see if he actually took me seriously, and, realizing he left, I shot up and looked around frantically. I got up very slowly, to prevent getting dizzy, and looked in the closet. It seemed a foolish place for him to hide here, but you never know. When I turned, there he was, at the far end of the room, staring at me. He smiled evilly, slowly lowering into an ever so familiar crouch that sent me waves of déjà vu.

"Oh, no you don't," I said, but it was too late. His mind was made up.

He was in a full crouch now, purring slightly, which shocked me greatly.

He launched forward, colliding with me, and having me land softly on the bed. However, unlike last time, he was already at my neck, kissing every inch of it. The purring started humming deep in his chest again...

"Would it ruin the moment if I asked you something?" I said quietly.

"Never," he whispered against my neck. His hands were roaming the rest of my body as he made his way to my ear, and grazed the earlobe. I shivered, and I felt him smile.

"Edward," I complained quietly, "it's really hard to concentrate with you kissing me everywhere."

I could feel myself losing whatever I wanted to ask him before...

"And?" he asked, moving back to my neck, making me moan.

"Stop it, really," I said, attempting to squirm away from his iron grasp.

Sighing heavily, he complied. I sat up, and smiled a tiny smile. "Sorry."

He smiled back.

"And, um, why were you purring before?" I asked hesitantly, but very curiously.

"Ah, that's what you wanted to know," he said, laughing lightly. He thought about it for a moment. "When one of us, meaning a vampire, has a very intense want, or need, for his/her mate, they purr unconsciously and uncontrollably," he said, smirking.

"How come you've never purred before?" I asked.

"Oh, I have, but just not loud enough for you to hear, my love."

I smiled, satisfied with the answer. "Okay."

He wrapped me up in his arms, curling me into a ball and hugging me to his chest. He rocked slowly back and forth, humming my lullaby. Sunlight shown through the window, and it bounced off of Edward's skin, just like in my dream. I was drifting again, but I could still hear the soft hum of my lullaby, although it was getting fainter and fainter...

I shivered, trying to hug my knees to keep warm. Then I realized that Edward was still holding me.

He looked down at me, and saw that I was cold, so he took the comforter off of the bed and wrapped it around me. I felt like I was in a cocoon. I giggled.

My stomach rumbled faintly. I looked down at it, and then I looked back up at Edward, who was watching me very carefully.

"I'm hungry," I said. I started to wobble towards the door, but when I tried to open it and was unsuccessful because of the blanket, I pouted, turned back to Edward, and said, "Help?"

He was shaking with silent laughter. He kissed my forehead, and then opened the door for me. He made a move to pick me up.

"I want to walk," I told him, and he let me go. "You carry me everywhere, and my legs never see the light of day anymore." He smiled, nodding.

So I slowly made my way down the stairs, hugging the blanket to me with all of the strength I could muster, because I was freezing. I shivered, corresponding to my thoughts.

When I was at the bottom, I suddenly toppled over. And it was so unexpected that Edward couldn't catch me in time, so I was face first into the floor. Luckily, though, the blanket mostly broke my fall.

"Ouch," I muttered. There was so much damn comforter around me that I couldn't move. "Urg..."

Alice was sitting on the couch, and when she saw me, she started to laugh. Hard. She wasn't breathing.

I squirmed on the floor.

Edward was laughing just as hard as Alice.

I closed my eyes and hoped to sleep of food that I seemed to never be getting.

"Come on, sweetheart," Edward cooed, picking me up and carrying me to the dining room table. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"It's okay," I sighed. "Now you owe me, though."

"Oh?" he said, rummaging through the fridge for food for me.

"Yep," I said.

"And what do I owe you?" He pulled some eggs and bacon from the fridge, and turned on the stove.

I thought about it for a minute. "A ride in your Volvo."

"Okay."

"But I get to drive in it. Alone," I said, slowly, just in case he would blow a fuse. He froze, and turned to me.

"Alone?" he asked, having an issue with me driving his "baby" alone. I wasn't sure if he was concerned for the car, or for me.

"Alice?" he said, turning to her. The back of her head was all I could see, but I did see that she was completely motionless.

"Nothing," she said nonchalantly.

Edward turned back to me. "Deal," he said. I smiled, never thinking he would actually let me do this. I was getting excited, and I wasn't sleepy anymore.

He set a plate in front of me with food that consisted of eggs, bacon, tater tots, and toast. Then he placed a glass of milk in front of me, too. I licked my lips, making him chuckle.

"Thank you," I said, digging in. I was surprised at my own eagerness.

When I was done, Edward took the plate and glass and placed them in the sink.

He took my hand and led me up the stairs and into his room. I flopped on the bed, and I realized that I was starting to sweat from being wrapped up in the blanket for so long. Edward came over and peeled it off of me, throwing it to the side. I smiled, and got off the bed, making my way to the closet. Ever since I moved in here, Edward had made space in his closet for all of my clothes. Not that I ever had that many.

I picked out jeans and a white Aeropostale T shirt, and slipped them on. I made sure Edward was looking away first though. I giggled when I saw his reluctance.

"Alright," I said, and he turned back to me. "I'm ready for my joyride." I smiled brightly.

He looked momentarily worried, for his car, I could tell, but then he thought of what Alice had said.

Edward followed me all the way to the car, and helped me in. I lowered the window down.

"Can I at least run beside you?" he asked.

"Not a chance," I said, pointing a finger at him. "This is Bella/Volvo time, and if you're there, that would ruin it," I told him, smiling. He was putty in my hands.

He sighed, defeated. "Alright. Be careful," he added, deadly serious. I kissed him lightly before speeding away.

At first I started slower, and when I was just taxiing around, I found a long, seemingly deserted road. I named it Bella Boulevard, since it didn't have a name.

Then, little by little, I was going faster and faster. When I looked at the speedometer, it said I was going 105. "Woohoo!" I screamed joyfully. No wonder the Cullens are always going so fast! It's so exhilarating, and a lot of fun!

I was screaming in joy, watching the grass in the plains on either side of me blow by faster than ever, when I started inching faster. It was at 115 when...

I heard a popping sound. What the hell was that? I thought. I took my eyes away from the road for one instant, and that was all it took. Trees surrounded me, and then, out of nowhere, I collided with one. Going 115 MPH and hitting a tree...

Déjà vu roared through my system. A car accident…deathly…

I screamed, covering my face with my hands in those precious seconds before I made contact with the tree. My blood curdled, and my guardian angel must be with me, because only half of the car was smashed up and through. It was enough to get part of me though…the car spun out, doing donuts that were making me intensely dizzy. The tires squealed against the wet forest floor, and then the car finally halted. It was dead silent except for the frightened calls of the birds around me. I was aware that I was definitely not dead, the pain was too horrible for that…

The pain. Oh lord, the _pain_. I swear the car was on fire. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it actually was…

I screamed in agony before growing unconscious.

**A/N OH MY GOD! CLIFFIE! Dun dun dun! Haha. I had a lot of fun writing this! My fingers were flying across the keyboard! So, if you really want me to update, then please, please review! I will be stubborn and will not update till I get at least five reviews. **

**Click the pretty purple/bluish button and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Wow, am I impressed! I got six reviews in an hour! Awsome! Lol. I am just really excited about the reviews I got and they made me really happy because they were all positive! And they really do help, I tell ya. I started thinking about what the next chapter (this one) was going to have happen right away! So…enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: still waiting for dear Stephenie Meyer to mail me the deed. But till then, not mine!**

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**Bella's POV**

I rolled my head to the side, and moaned softly. I didn't dare to try to open my eyes, for I might not like what I was to see if I did. 

My thoughts are all incoherent, and I can't remember what happened…

My head was throbbing, I felt wet all over, and I'm sure it's not only from the wet forest floor, and it was getting harder to breathe by the second. I concentrated on only that—breathing. _In, out…in, out…_

My breath started coming and going slower and slower as I started to run out of air to breath…shaky breaths were the best I could muster out at the time…

A sharp pain suddenly lashed through my torso, and I writhed. I twisted in an unnatural position with hurt even more, and I screamed, wincing as the sound hurt my ears. 

I felt the soft wind blow by me as I felt another presence near me…

"_Bella!_" I heard Edward yell in terror. "Oh my god, Bella, please, _no!_" he cried. 

He was touching my skin frantically, looking for my vital signs, relieved when he felt a soft pulse. But that didn't last for long. He was panting at touching me everywhere. He finally just picked me up and ran. 

I felt the wind blowing by me, and it felt kind of nice against my warm skin. But as we were running…

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry," Edward said, and he was sobbing uncontrollably. "I should have insisted on running with you…I was so stupid…I can't lose you…not now…not like this…"

I opened my mouth to try and say something, but all that came out was, "I…I…" o cleared my throat and winced. 

I take it that seeing that was too much to bear for Edward, and he roared out in agony. I cried out softly at the sound. 

A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought about losing Edward again. I could think a bit better now, but I was still feeling worse by the minute. 

I just couldn't do this to Edward…if for anyone, I had to be strong for him. I had to keep quiet, be strong, and hold in there until they made me all better. I let my head go limp against Edward's shoulder. 

I heard a small bang, and I felt a bit warmer…

A collection of gasps occurred, and I realized we were back at the Cullen house. 

"_Bella_?" I heard Emmett ask. "Is that you?"

I nodded meekly. I didn't open my eyes. 

"Carlisle!" Edward called. 

"Bring her over here," an always calm Carlisle responded. 

I was laid on a soft surface. The sleeve of my shirt was pulled up, and Edward kissed my forehead. Something very sharp pierced my arm, and I screamed before everything went black. 

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**A/N um sorry about the shortness and all, but I figured that little update is better than no update, right? But I hope I can update this again soon…maybe on Monday, okay? Expect another update then! But only if I get…hmm…let's see…10 reviews! Easy peesy, right? **

**Click the grayish button! You know you want to. **


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I love all of the reviews I get

**A/N I love all of the reviews I get! They are so great. And inspiring! They help so much! Here, this one was my favorite; and I quote:**

_Wow!  
How could you do that to Edward?! HOW?!  
You are cruel and evil. I am furious at you now._

(Please update soon, it was awesome!)

**This one really made me smile! You know who you are. ; Thanks again for reviewing! I hope that this next chapter doesn't disappoint anyone!**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine. But I do own Bella Boulevard! **

**Bella's POV**

"Carlisle, she's not waking up. Why is she not waking up?! She should be up by now!"

"Edward, please calm down. It will take some time. For all we know, she could be conscious now. And if she hears you like this, she may panic, and she doesn't need any added stress to what she already has to deal with, does she?"

I could almost see him hang his head. "No, she doesn't."

"What she needs right now is for you to be here for her and to care for her. I know that neither of you will want me here when she does wake up, so I'll be on my way. Call me if you need anything, or if she has any questions." I heard a door open, then shut.

I felt like I was being watched, which I was positive that I was…by Edward.

I was still quite limp in his arms, although I wasn't feeling any pain…if anything, I was very numb. Maybe that pain I felt on my arm before was morphine…

It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I have to try to wake up fully and be strong for my love. I think he's suffered enough from my stupid affairs.

I let my head bob over to the other side, because I was starting to get a headache…

I sighed heavily. I felt Edward's arms clasp in anticipation around me.

"Bella? Bella, honey, can you hear me?" he asked. I relaxed automatically at his silky voice.

"Mmm," I mumbled.

He sighed out a breath he seemed to be holding.

I reached up, my hands searching for his smooth face. When I found it, I smiled. I brought it down to mine and kissed his lips softly and tenderly. My arms eventually found his neck, and my hands started to braid in his hair…

"Bella, wait," he said, untangling my hands from his hair.

"What?" I muttered, hopelessly.

"Have you tried opening your eyes yet?" he asked warily.

"No. No I haven't," I told him.

He squirmed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"Bella…open your eyes. Tell me what you see." He muttered something under his breath after that that I didn't hear.

I did as I was told. I opened them slowly.

And what I saw was black. The only other thing I could feel and could kind of see, was that I could tell it was very bright and sunny outside. The black was suddenly light grey.

I gasped as I realized this. Was this just a bad dream? It had to be…

My hands flew to his face again, making sure he was still here and trying to confirm if this was real.

"E-Edward? W-Why can't I see your face?" I asked frantically. He didn't respond. "Edward?"

"Bella, I hate to say this but…" He hesitated.

"Tell me, dammit!" I demanded.

"You can't see because…because…"

"Yes?"

"When you had the accident…with the Volvo…it…made you…blind…"

"B-Blind?" I stuttered.

"Yes. And…oh Bella, I'm so sorry that I couldn't stop it…I should have been there with you no matter what. But I was to bent on giving you whatever you wanted, I just wanted you to be happy—''

I put my finger to where his lips should be. I was shaking in horror, but I had to try and keep calm. "Edward, please don't do this. It wasn't your fault…and if you say it was, well, then, you go ahead and think that. But I will never blame you for this because I know it was my stupidity that got me into this in the first place. I was actually trying to see what it felt like to go so fast…I was wondering why you all love it so much…"

"But I don't think that I love it anymore," he told me. "Not after what it did to you."

I sighed. Then I heard something…

"BELLA!" a tiny but obnoxious pixy called out to me. "How are you? Sorry but I'm just excited to see you, this is the first time that anyone has been allowed to see you since you came home and—''

"Alice," Edward warned.

"What? Anyway, oh, I'm so happy to see you! Are you okay? Do you need anything? You might before—''

"Before what?" I asked.

"Before everyone else comes to see you of course! We need to get you out of those nasty, bloody clothes so that Jasper isn't tempted. We don't want that, now do we? So come on!" I think she expected me to follow.

"Um, Alice?"

"Yeah?" I imagined her turning to me. "Oh. Right. Sorry."

I heard a small argument between Edward and Alice, which consisted of him not leaving me and her telling him that this was not for him to interfere with. Meanwhile I was touching Edward's face, and that was easy because I was still in his arms, though he was standing. He didn't mind me exploring his face. As a matter of fact, I think he really liked it. So my hands went slowly across his face, memorizing the features, and loving every second of it. I think he won because a smile slowly crept across his face. He took my hand and kissed it.

"Alice is gone," he whispered in my ear. I smiled. "But she's still expecting us to follow."

I let out an annoyed sound, and said, "Well, then, carry me to her, my Prince."

"Anything for you, my heiness," he said, playing along.

I could tell he was walking very slowly to her room. That was good, I wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

"Edward?"

"Yes?" he asked, kissing my forehead.

"I'm scared," I said very quietly, and very seriously.

"It's just for a little bit. I can tell Alice that you said no—''

"That's not what I meant. That's not what I'm scared about."

He understood immediately. "Bella…we'll all be here for you, you know. You'll never be alone. You will never have to face this alone. This is you and me, always. No matter what. This is just…a little stepping stone, and we have to find a way over it. Well guess what?"

"What?"

"I think we already have. I love you too much to ever give up or accept the fact that leaving you would be better for you. I know I'm selfish, we clarified that a while ago already. But still, I hope that you love and trust me enough to let me take care of you now."

"Always," I said, confidence and love in my tone.

"Good," he said, with a single laugh of relief. "The sooner we get there, the sooner it's over," he pointed out. I knew he meant about Alice.

"Then you'd better run!" I said, and we flew.

**A/N Longer chapter! Much longer then I expected, at least. I think it was happier…what do you think? Oh, and this is the first time like ever I think that I've updated when I said I would…so yay for me! Lol. **

**Click the powder blue button!!**

**P.S. I love that I got (I think) exactly ten reviews when I counted. I always want more, but I'm not going to be greedy with them. That wouldn't be fair. But I laughed when I saw exactly ten. So, let's go with this theme: ten reviews please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I'm loving how into this story people are getting! And I'm trying to give longer chapters, I really am…I'll try my best! Don't forget, I only have weekends for updating time. **

**I hope you likie!**

**Disclaimer: me no own. **

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**Bella's POV**

Boy, am I tired!

After Alice was done with me, I had to go and say hello to all of my soon-to-be siblings. They all told me how much they felt for me…

_Flashback…_

"Bella!" Emmett's booming voice called. He came over to me and engulfed me into a bone-crushing hug. He twisted left and right, and there was lots of love in this small gesture.

"Emmett…" I said.

"Yeah?" he asked, and I could almost see him cock his head to the side. The thought made me giggle for a second.

"Um…never mind." He didn't need to hear what I was going to say… "How are you?"

"I should be asking you that! I'm fine." He set me down. "Are you doing okay?"

"For someone who just went blind, yes," I said lightly. I heard a few small laughs at my taking it so lightly. Edward's arms tightened around my waist. I winced slightly.

The dark was starting to make me a little sadder as we went on…

"Please," I gasped suddenly, like I was just coming up for air, right before drowning point.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Edward asked in my ear, alarmed.

"I…can't…take this," I cried out, and the room, buzzing with small conversation before, was dead silent.

I broke free of Edward's grasp and ran. I only hoped that I knew the house well enough that I could find my way out without killing myself.

I felt for a door, and turned the handle and bolted. Luckily, we were already on the ground floor, so I didn't have to worry about stairs. The light was getting brighter as I went along…

And I wanted it bad.

I went around feeling, fast but thorough, and finally found the back door of the house. I tore it open, and dove for the sunlight.

I stumbled, ecstatic in my hunt for the sun. I fell flat on my face, and somehow it hurt even more, not being able to literally see it coming. I didn't even have time to brace myself.

And so I laid there. I lay there, and cried. I was bawling, and I curled up in the fetal position on the ground, lying on my side. I felt the tears pouring down my cheeks, and it was even worse because I was expecting my vision to blur, but it couldn't even do that anymore. It was such a horrible feeling, and the factor that I was actually _blind_ was starting to sink in. I'm blind…I can never see Edward's gorgeous face ever again…

It felt like I was falling to pieces all over again, except for different reasons this time. I clutched my chest as it tried to come out of my torso.

"Bella," Edward I heard Edward say, and he tried to lift me from the ground. But I wouldn't give in that easily.

I grabbed fistfuls of grass, trying to cling to the ground. "No!" I whimpered. He let go of me immediately.

"Bella…" he started. He seemed choked up and…sad? "What is the matter? This isn't like you…"

"What's the matter?" I said, standing up. With every word my voice grew louder. "What's the _matter_? Edward, I just went blind!" The tears were coming again. You could hear it in my voice. "I can't take this. I just _can't_, okay? Do you know what it's like to not be able to see your love's face, or to see the person who's hugging you, or not to be able to see the ground come toward you when you fall? It's the worst feeling in the world. That's why I came out here. Because I can still see colors, just like everyone else. The sun, your skin…they all give me a whole new meaning of happiness. I know that I haven't been…blind for that long, but it has still already gotten to me. You have no idea what it's like." I just stood there stupidly. I wonder what his face looked like. Probably agonized…

I felt cold arms wrap around my waist eagerly. "Bella…," he started. He hesitated.

"What is it?" I asked, and he wiped the streaks of tears from my face.

"You're right. I _don't _know what it's like. I really don't know what to do to help you right now…but I think that I have an idea. I think…that what you need is for me to be here for you. And to love you, and to help you. I know that you are a very independent individual, but now that you're…you are going to have to let us help you. I know that it's hard, I can only imagine how scary this is for you—''

"You have no idea," I mumbled.

"—and I will help you through every step of the way, if you'll let me. I know that you say that this is your entire fault, and that I'm not to blame, but how can I think anything but that I'm to blame? Alice couldn't see you crashing, because you didn't expect it in the least. You didn't plan it. The thought wasn't even in your head. Do you know how horrible and disgusted with herself she is right now? She feels like this is more her fault than I think it's mine. She takes full responsibility. I think…that right now, we need to take things slow. Put off the wedding, and the change…"

"Whoa whoa whoa," I said. "The wedding? My change? Why are we putting these things off? There's no reason for that!"

"Bella," he said, pain in his voice. "We should…at least for now. I'm not saying that it won't happen, I'm just saying that they aren't our first priority."

I accepted that answer. It actually kind of made sense to put things off…for now.

I turned around, and I enveloped him in a hug. I squeezed him as tight as I possibly could. He hugged me back fiercely, and rubbed my back lightly. Then I just kind of went limp. I didn't fall over, but I swayed.

"We'll work this out," he insisted. "We will find a way to make this work."

"I hope you're right," I said. "Because if you don't watch me closely enough, I might do something stupid…even by accident. We don't want a repeat of my cliff diving incident, though with a different twist—me being blind this time! It might happen, by accident," I told him, trying to lighten the mood. It worked—he laughed.

"Oh, definitely," he said. "We wouldn't want that to happen…but we could push Alice over for fun!"

"Hey! I heard that!" the teeny vampire called from inside the house. We laughed heartily.

_End Flashback…_

I sighed. "Edward?"

"Yes?"

"How much do you love me?" I asked pathetically.

"More than anyone could possible understand. Unconditionally," he added.

I felt for his hand, and then smacked it.

"What was that for?" he asked, shocked.

"For being an ass," I said simply.

"How did I act like an ass?" he asked, and he clasped his hand around mine.

"You could have done so much better," I informed him. "You just had to pick _me_, the klutz, the freak, the accident-prone weirdo…" I touched his face with one hand. "Out of all the women in the world, you picked me. You could have had anyone in the world. And yet…"

"Here I am, loving the most beautiful thing in my world," he finished.

"That wasn't what I was going to say," I complained.

"Ah, but I only speak the truth, my love," he said, and the way he said it really made me want to cry in happiness.

"I love you," I whispered, leaning my head against his chest.

"I love you too, sweetheart," he replied, and I fell asleep in his arms.

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**A/N I know that it's not longer, but…it was this or nothing, folks! And I'm going to my dad's house tonight…so that means no computer till at least tomorrow…but I have no school tomorrow, so more time for writing! **

**Review and I will have a wonderful time writing the next chapter. If there are any questions, or some I didn't answer, please, ask them! This is something I live for, people! ) lol. **

**Click the lavender button!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hey guys! Hehe…I've had someone on my mind lately…(Jen, you're one of the only people who know about him, you know!) So this chapter is probably going to be very fluffylicious and gooey and stuff. But how can I possibly help that?...**

**Disclaimer: All I own is Bella's blindness in this story…and the plot. Duh. **

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**Edward's POV**

"Hey, Edward?" a sweet, innocent voice called to me.

"Yes, love?" I responded, wiping a strand of hair from my angel's face.

"Hmm…" she mumbled.

"What was that?" I asked, confused.

"Huh? Oh, um, nothing," she said, embarrassed.

"Tell me," I breathed in her face. She gasped.

"I was enjoying how your fingers felt on my face a bit too much," she admitted. I smiled.

"Ahh, I see," I said, placing my hand on her cheek. Her heart rate accelerated.

"So what you're saying is, you like when I do that." I put my lips on her forehead.

"Yes," she said unevenly.

"How about this?" I wrapped my arms around her wait from behind, and I pressed my lips softly against her neck. I inhaled deeply, my mind going in a haze for a moment.

She nodded so softly that I wasn't sure it was even a nod. I chuckled.

"Oh really? How can I know for sure?"

"Oh, stop torturing me already!" she gasped, and her hands whipped around and she grabbed my face eagerly, bringing it to hers. Her mouth moved anxiously on mine. She was breathing raggedly after a couple minutes of this.

I pulled away slightly, and she pouted. The most adorable thing ever.

"Bella," I started, looking into her eyes. I would not be able to get used to that very easily. Her eyes were very clouded, as if she were only half-conscious, and she was thinking about something very hard…like she wasn't seeing what was in front of her, like she was on a different part of the universe…but then that thought suddenly escaped my mind as I thought about it. "Why are you so anxious?"

Before I could even finish that sentence, she brought her lips back to mine. I tried to pull away again. "Bella…"

"No!" she cried. My face held worry and I used my iron strength to hold her away.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" I asked, shocked.

She gripped my neck with what I was sure was all of her strength. A tear fell down her cheek. But that was it. One single tear.

"I'm fine," she said, looking down. "Sorry."

"Talk to me. Please."

She turned her head away. My eyebrows furrowed.

"Why won't you say anything?" I said, almost inaudibly.

"B-because—" She stopped. "Never mind. It's nothing." She turned back to me and forced a smile. Just seeing that it was forced made my heart ache. Why would she not tell me what was paining her?

"Please," was all I said.

"No," she said fiercely. "No."

She got up, and walked over toward where her stick was. Alice had gotten Bella one of the sticks that…blind people…strap around their wrists so they can poke around and not run into anything. It was a good call for Bella, really. She would not let me baby her forever.

"I'll be back later," she mumbled, opening the door and closing it behind her. I just sat on my bed, dumbfounded at what had just happened. What _had_ just happened? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt her? It was my mission to find out.

I followed her silently, never making a single sound. When she got toward the stairs, I got directly in front of her and followed her step by step just in case she fell. I went down the stairs backwards, while she went forward. When she made it to the bottom, I almost sighed in relief. I held it in, though, because if Bella knew I was silently helping her she would be mad at me. We didn't need that since she was already upset over something.

"Hey Alice," she called. Whoa, she is good! Alice hadn't made a sound either. I need to be more careful…

"Hey Bella!"

I went over to Alice quickly while Bella felt her way around. I never took my eyes off of my love.

"Can you please talk to her?" I pleaded. "Something is wrong and she won't talk to me," I said quietly, so Bella wouldn't hear.

"Sure. Any idea of what's wrong?" she asked, looking back at Bella.

"Not one. Good luck!" I swept over by the staircase and waited out to see what was bothering my angel.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Bella?"

"Yeah, Alice?" She was in the kitchen, looking in the cabinets…probably for cereal.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," she said, sighing, giving up on finding food. She turned to Alice's general direction. "What's up?"

"Are you doing okay?" she asked gingerly. She got up slowly, went over to Bella, and helped her over to the couch.

"What do you think?" she responded, with no emotion in her voice. I flinched.

"Well…it's just that…I heard something going on upstairs a few minutes ago…" She paused. "Do you want to tell me about that?"

"Not really," she admitted, "but I know you're going to make me tell you anyway."

She giggled, despite the situation. "You were right."

A soft sigh escaped her lips. "When Edward pulled away from me when I was kissing him…" She hesitated. I stood, frozen in place.

"Yes?" Alice encouraged.

"Well…I was bracing myself for it."

"For what?" Alice asked, not a clue in the world. Not even her visions could help her right now. Her mind was totally set on the present…

"For him to leave…to walk out and tell me that him coming back was a mistake." More tears followed. "I just know it's going to happen," she whimpered. "I don't know what I'm going to do without him…"

"Pardon? You think he's going to _leave_ you again?" disbelief colored her tone. "Are you _blind_?" The words slipped from her mouth before she could portray them. My mouth hung open. How could she be so careless?

"Yes," she sobbed, tearing the strap from her delicate wrist and darting out the door.

I was after her in a heartbeat, and the rain pounded down upon us like knives.

"Bella!" I heard Alice call from inside the house. "I didn't mean it!"

Her thoughts consisted of following us. "Stay there!" I yelled, and ran after Bella.

I whipped my head left and right. Where could she be? Then I cursed and looked up at the sky. _Damn rain_, I thought._ How can I smell Bella out when you're here? _I grunted, and set after my chase for her.

I heard a tiny sob coming from a tree. Well, unless the tree was crying, that was Bella. I looked behind the tree, and there she was, huddled up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth slowly, muttering something I couldn't quite understand. I leaned in closer so I could hear.

"_What will I do? I thought I would die the first time he left…now that I'm blind, what will I do without him? I need him…I'm not like I used to be…I can't go running back to Jake…that would be downright mean to do…" _she said very, very quietly, and each word struck me with pain. She truly thought I was leaving her again!

I knelt down beside her, not touching her. I wasn't sure if she would want me to.

"Bella, I'm not going anywhere."

She looked up sharply, startled. "Huh? What? Edward?"

"Yes."

She started up again. "Of course you're going to leave," she cried. "Why would you stay? All that's left of me are the broken, shattered pieces that you had worked so hard to heal when you left the first time. And since the accident two weeks ago…I've been falling apart little by little. I know you can't see it, but it's happening on the inside." She pointed to her delicate heart. "I don't need anymore to deal with."

"Didn't you hear me before? I'm not leaving you."

"Like I just said, Edward—" she stopped, like she just heard what I was saying. "Wait…what?"

"I will never leave you again," I said very seriously.

Her mouth fell open. A smile was starting to cross her features. "Say that again," she said.

I smiled. "I will never, _ever_ leave you again. And you know why?"

She frowned slightly. "Because you're stupid?"

"Nooo," I said, chuckling, "because I love you."

"Really?" she said, starting to lean forward. "And if you truly mean that…can I have something?"

"Anything," I vowed, without a doubt in my mind that I would give her whatever she wanted.

"Can I have a ride home?" she said, laughing. "The rain is soaking through my underwear, and it's getting uncomfortable!" She shifted her butt. I laughed along with her, basking in the moment.

"Your wish, my command," I said, picking her up and heading home.

Alice went up and got her changed, and when they both came back downstairs into the living room, Bella came wearing very fluffy-looking pajama pants and one of my black tee shirts.

"Hey," I said warningly, although they knew I was playing around. "That's mine!"

"I know," Bella said happily, plopping down on the couch next to me, snuggling into my chest and wrapping her tiny arms around my torso. "I love it. It smells like you. It's just so…homey." She moaned in content. I kissed her hair.

"What's mine is yours," I told her. "Well, at least that will be one hundred percent true after we have the wedding," I finished.

"We're still having the wedding?" she asked.

"Of course we are! There wasn't ever a doubt in my mind that it was off! And do you really think Alice would throw all of those plans away? She sent out the invitations awhile ago!"

Bella laughed. Every time she laughs, another angel is born. She brings the light to my world.

"That's true," she commented.

"Bella, I really am sorry," Alice said.

"Yeah, I know. You didn't mean it. It's alright." She smiled genuinely toward Alice.

"You know, I could get used to this," the beautiful creature in my arms cooed.

"To what?" I asked, my arms tightening lovingly around her.

"To having you spoil me like this. Too much of it will make me a real brat though…"

"Psh," I muttered. "You'll never be a brat. And even if you do become one, I can at least say you're my brat," I teased, touching the tip of her nose with my pointer finger.

She gasped in mock horror, trying not to laugh. She failed miserably, and I put my pointer finger under her chin, lifting her face up to mine. I pressed my lips tenderly to hers, and she melted in my arms. My world is complete.

**

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**

A/N Whoa! This is sooo much longer than I expected! This might be the longest chapter yet! Lol. I know the middle is kind of sad…but I had to stay in place with the story line! This is why I placed it under DRAMA, people! But the rest was fluffy! I think…

**The reviews for the last chapter were horrible (in number)! I simply REFUSE to update until I get ten for this chapter. Oh yeah. I can be tough. –Gets dead silent but then breaks out laughing— **

**Haha. **

**Review!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Guess what? I am really happy right now! I got twenty-one whole reviews for the last chapter!! That is **_**so**_** awesome! **

**And…well, I know how this story is going to end…and mostly what's going to happen in-between…but, for the time being, I'm going to need some more time to think about what's going to happen in the in-between chapters…you try thinking of a story line to consist with Bella being blind! Pshh. That's what I thought. Lol. **

**So…I hope that this chapter isn't too bad. I did the best I could, all things considered. :)**** I hope you like!!**

**Disclaimer: hah. Like I would be fortunate enough to own these beautiful characters! **

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**Alice's POV**

Are there really words to describe how I feel right now?

First off, I feel totally responsible for what happened to Bella. Edward asked me to look for her future and…well…I didn't see anything wrong. She was happy, and I saw her coming back home to Edward and I. How could that have gone so haywire?

What I am also afraid of is that my visions are slipping…we've had this problem before, but I had had even more to watch for then than now. Then I had to watch for Victoria, the unknown vampire (at the time—now we know it was Victoria), the Volturi, making sure Bella didn't unconsciously kill herself, and making sure that Bella's visions didn't disappear altogether. That was a pretty big load to put on one person, don't you think? But I know that Edward only had these things in mind to keep Bella safe. I can't just say no to him when he pulls out that card…

And now every time I look into Bella's eyes, I feel like crying. They're so cloudy, and I can't see what she's thinking through them anymore. Now it's a mystery to everyone…But then I start to think about how it would feel to lose my eyesight. It's one of the reasons for my existence, seeing things that other people can't. At least, not until it actually does happen. Usually…

This isn't good…crap! I forgot Edward can hear me! Is he even around?

As if answering my unspoken question, Edward waltzed downstairs, a frown on his face. His eyes told me, _Alice this isn't your fault, it truly is mine, _while his expression held sorrow. He sighed.

_Look, Edward, I think what I think, okay? I can't exactly prevent how I feel about this._

He nodded.

_But…how is she doing right now? Is she okay? Does she need anything? If she does I'll go and get—_

"Alice," he said quietly. "Stop worrying, Bella's fine. Everything's fine. She's alright. As a matter of fact, she is in a very deep slumber."

I smiled slightly. _So that means I can't take her shopping?_

His eyes widened in horror. "Never! You are _not_ taking her shopping. Unless pigs start to fly and she asks you to, then she is going nowhere near any vintage stores, malls, or clothing facilities with you. Do you understand?"

I laughed. _Calm down. I never planned on dragging her anywhere. _The expression in my eyes made him think differently, I could tell. I laughed again.

He shook his head, and went back upstairs to his true love.

I sighed, satisfied with just happened, and flopped back onto the couch. I slouched, closing my eyes. I reached over, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it closely to my chest.

Then my mind went blank and…

_I was sitting on the couch, still hugging the same pillow, as a blonde-haired angel crept quietly into the room. He had a tight smirk on his face, which slowly turned playful as he saw me. He lowered into a crouch, and stalked forward, hunger in his eyes. And yet he wasn't hunting…he pounced on top of me, recklessly knocking over the couch and sending us flying to the floor. _

"_Jasper!" I gasped, as he laughed triumphantly at catching me off guard for once. _

"_I got you!" he whispered, silencing my sarcastic remark with a kiss…_

I came back to the present with a jolt. It had seemed so real…but, then again, don't all of my visions? I heard a small cackle from upstairs and I realized that Edward had seen the whole thing.

_Hey, just because in the vision it happened doesn't mean—_

As I was thinking that sentence, a pair of stone arms collided into me, and the two of us—and the couch—flew across the room, tumbling to the floor with a very loud _thud_.

"Jasper!" I gasped, and he laughed just like he did in my vision.

"I got you!" he whispered, and, like in my vision, he silenced my next words with a kiss.

He was on top of me, so I sat up, him rolling off to the side. I crossed my legs and straightened my back. "So, Jasper," I started. "You got me this once—don't think it will be that easy to get me again," I muttered.

He smiled, and crawled over to me, sitting next to me and leaning his head against my shoulder. He reminded me of a small puppy with his wide, innocent eyes that I easy sought out as a façade. I shook my head, and leaned my head on top of his.

"Why are you being so defensive?" he teased.

Oh, damn—he's using his powers on me. I told him never to—

"Aw, Jazz, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it…you are better than me in more ways than one. I love you…" I said. I can't believe I was so stupid! I probably really hurt his _feelings_…

Feelings. He's making me feel this! I have to fight it…

I pulled away, stood up lithely, and bolted from the house. It was raining outside, but I didn't care. I only had one thing in mind—Jasper chasing me. I smiled.

I was just curious to see if he could catch me. Nothing personal. And also, I hate it when he uses his powers on me—I told him never to do that. It makes me feel weak, and I want to be able to feel what I would naturally, not what he wants me to.

I would never get mad at him for it, though. He was only messing around, he didn't mean any harm. And the only other times he's used it is only when I was crying or immensely sad. He can't stand to see me like that, so he just helps out and makes me a little…happier. Those are the only times I appreciate it.

But it's what he does, and part of who he is, and I'll always love him for it. I would love him no matter what, and he knows that. He's the reason for my existence…in few words. He's the picture that's worth a thousand words. Wait, no, I lied; he's the picture worth a million words. Nobody sees him as I do…which means I could most likely come up with even more. He's Heaven's gift to me, and I could not live without him.

That reminded me of Bella and Edward for a second. The love they share is far stronger than we could have ever hoped for my brother. For so long, he was just…well, not invisible, but barely there. Yes, he came hunting, he played baseball with us, he played video games with Emmett…he thought his life was complete. Little did he know, there was a _huge _void in his life that was waiting to be filled, and that void's name is Bella.

His behavior changed miraculously since the very first day he met her. His first reaction to her was very silly, and it hurt us a lot—he shouldn't have run away like that, just disappear for more than a week. It was the first time we had ever experienced a week as humans do…slow, and very long.

But he was back soon enough—and with a totally different attitude. The first thing he did when he came was he took a long look at his family, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm home!"

We all laughed, and gathered around to hug him, thankful that he came back…

After that, everything went uphill. He _wanted _to go to school. He _wanted _to help Esme around the house. He was _cheerful_ when he went along with Emmett's small schemes or pranks. And not one of them had a clue except for me. Because, as Edward put it; "You are the annoying one that can see the future and tell my every new move as I think it." I had smiled brightly and replied, "Yep!"

And then when everyone had found out about Bella—no one in the family can keep a secret; between Edward and I, there's no way—the first thing anyone did was, of course, Emmett and Jasper made a bet. Emmett said that Bella would come and see us—and not run away screaming—while Jasper said that Bella would be running for the hills in the first few minutes. Emmett won that bet flawlessly when Bella finally came. She had more guts than any of us thought, even Edward.

But in the end, we all knew what was going to happen, and it made Edward _furious_. But he knew the consequences as soon as he met Bella—that he would most likely end up having to change her in the end. Why is he so stubborn, though? He was bent on keeping her human and letting her have her soul. Bella didn't believe in the whole, "losing your soul" crap, but it's not exactly going to happen if he won't let us do what is best for her. And it's what she wants, anyway—he's just making the poor girl paranoid! If he would just change her already then she would stop growing more scared and…

I blankly realized I was running along the beaches of La Push…dog territory. I would leave as soon as I was through thinking…

Everything around me disappeared, and it was replaced with a totally different scene.

_Bella and Edward were in Olympia, looking for new books, as she had wanted for so long. She and Edward had come to the solution that he would read the books to her…_

_They were walking across the street, hand in hand, and as they made it to the sidewalk, Edward's head jerked up and he lunged at Bella, pushing her into the nearest store, which was a pharmacy. _

_She pounded on the glass window, petrified, and said, "Edward? Edward! What's going on?" _

_Then, without responding to her pleas, he turned and faced the vampire that stood before him…_

The present world came rushing back, and I jerked up, not realizing I was still running, and I ended up running up the cliff that Bella had flung herself from so long ago. It took me three seconds to realize this, and two and a half to try and stop running.

I skidded across the wet, slushy dirt, but I couldn't stop myself quite in time. I went over the edge of the cliff, but turned and my fingers caught the edge, and I gripped it tightly.

I knew that I would live if I fell right now, and that I am an excellent swimmer, but I was so terrified that I couldn't even think of letting myself just drop.

"_Jasper!" _I screamed, positive that every werewolf in La Push would hear me, yet not at all caring.

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**A/N Alice? ALICE?! Oh, no! What happens to her? What about Edward and Bella? Guess you'll have to review to find out…-eerie voice- **

**Hmm. Who could the vampire be? There's no one left for it to be…the Volturi—gone. Victoria, James, and Laurent—dead. Bree—dead. There's no one else!...Or is there??**

**Haha. I love messing with your heads! Okay well I know what's happening but you don't so…reviewing will make me post waaaay faster! Love you all!**

**Click the teal button!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Recap! **

_I skidded across the wet, slushy dirt, but I couldn't stop myself quite in time. I went over the edge of the cliff, but turned and my fingers caught the edge, and I gripped it tightly. _

_I knew that I would live if I fell right now, and that I am an excellent swimmer, but I was so terrified that I couldn't even think of letting myself just drop. _

"Jasper!"_ I screamed, positive that every werewolf in La Push would hear me, yet not at all caring. _

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**Alice's POV**

My breathing came slowly faster as I weighed the possibilities of the outcomes for this. I could not see the future, which meant that the wolves were definitely going to be involved. I gulped.

How could I have been so careless? I mean, I didn't care that the wolves had heard me, but that didn't mean I couldn't have been more careful to where I was going. Yeah, it was really stupid to wander into their territory, but what can I say? I wasn't exactly paying too much attention and the fact that I was going to be where they were meant that I couldn't see anything…

So I wouldn't have been able to know one way or another.

But that doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done, and I can't change it. What I need to do now is get some help…

"Alice!" my love cried. He was by me in seconds.

Jasper reached down quickly, took my hands in his, and lifted me up with ease. He brought me to his chest, hugging me fiercely.

"Alice, are you okay?" he asked, sincerity in his tone.

"I'm fine," I said, returning the hug. "But we should probably go before…"

A strong, vile scent whipped through the air, and my nostrils flared. The scent burned my nose, and turned on my will to kill.

But that was easily wiped away, with Jasper's help. He didn't bother to use it on the dogs yet, for they hadn't come into sight. Yet.

I brought Jasper closer yet as I searched the perimeter for them. My eyes darted this way and that, and near the woods, I saw shuffling…

Five massive werewolves lurked out from the night's shadows. On all fours, they were quite big. I remember seeing them stand up straight…then they had made it to about nine or ten feet tall.

The reddish brown wolf made a sound that indicated something to his fellow pack mates. Maybe…recognition? I knew that that wolf was Jacob, Bella's friend. He seemed to have gotten bigger from the last time I saw him…and that was, what? Six months ago?

The leader, Sam as I recalled, ran quickly back into the woods. He came out moments later with only a torn pair of shorts on. His eyes held somewhat of ease, but not totally. I knew that he would never fully trust us, even though we had worked together in a war. He still sees it as vampire versus werewolf.

"What is your business here?" he called, from about two hundred yards away.

_God damn it,_ I thought furiously. _If I hadn't wandered here…this gives them permission to start a war! I can't let that happen! But then again, I can't see the future when it comes to them…_

"Why are you here?" Jacob growled, and I just now realized that he had turned back into a human. "Tell us before I—,"

"Jacob," Sam warned, putting a hand on his trembling shoulder. The convulsions started to slow.

"I truly am sorry. We'll leave immediately…" I said quickly.

I made a move to leave, but Jacob's voice stopped me short. "You didn't answer his question," he snapped at me, voice deadly.

Jasper's arms tightened around me, and he hissed at Jacob. He ignored my love completely.

"Why does it matter? We're leaving now—,"

"No, you're not," Jake retorted. "You're not going anywhere. You crossed the treaty line. This gives us reason to start a war!"

"You wouldn't do that, though, would you?" I taunted.

"Oh, and why wouldn't I?"

"Because, after what happened to Bella, you wouldn't want to take away the life she loves, and the people in it, would you?"

"What do you mean, 'after what happened to Bella'?" he asked slowly.

"Oh, you never did find out, did you?" I knew what I was doing was really below the belt and that it would hurt all of us for me to even just say it but…I was _not _going to be held responsible for a war with the wolves. "She had and accident," I nearly chocked out.

Jacob froze. He stood there, obviously waiting for me to continue.

"And in that accident, she got deathly injured—,"

"You didn't turn her into one of you yet, did you?" he asked, having the wrong assumption.

"No, let me finish."

He quieted.

"Bella…was taking a ride, alone, in Edward's car, and she crashed. She became blind," I said, emphasizing each word. Jacob looked like he was furious, sad, and about to cry. The poor kid. This was harder than I thought to be able to do…

"You're right," he whispered, and if I wasn't a vampire, I wouldn't have heard him. "I can't do that to Bella."

"Jacob, you have to be strong," Sam said. He turned back to us. "This gives us every right to start one. It doesn't mean we want to, but you made a treaty with us. You have to honor it."

"Technically, Jasper and I weren't there when you made the treaty…" I mumbled.

"Alice, I don't think this is the time for that," Jasper whispered quickly.

"I guess you're right," I whispered back. "Sorry. I'm just nervous. I can't see what's going to happen, and it's driving me insane."

"I know," he whispered, voice pained. "I know."

Gears turned in the back of my head, and a plan formed. I knew that it could—_would _get us in more trouble if we tried, but it was either this or stay here…

I turned my head into Jasper's chest. I talked so low that the wolves would have to chance of hearing me. "Jasper, we have to make a run for it."

I couldn't see his face. "Alice, I don't think that—,"

"Jasper, think about it! We can either stay here and wait till they tear us to shreds, or we can run and get away…hopefully. We'll have to leave, of course—and I don't mean just running away. We might have to go to Denali…and there, Bella can be changed without breaking their stupid treaty, and we can all live happily ever after," I said, very quickly.

Jasper stopped breathing he was thinking so hard. But, as I gave him time to think about it, he realized I was right.

"I'm going to feel like a coward," he started, "but if it'll be good for the welfare of our family in the long run…let's go."

I kissed his chest. "On the count of three."

He nodded. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" he said, and we were running.

I looked back, as I was running, to see the wolves' reactions—needless to say, they were furious. Sam, Embry, Jacob and Paul took chase to us immediately.

"Damn it," I muttered. "Can't just let us go, can they?"

I pushed myself faster, as did Jasper. Everything was happening so fast, I wasn't quite sure it was real. I wasn't quite sure _anything _was real anymore. After what happened to Bella…I've been losing confidence in myself. I've felt as if I have been looking at the world through a glass case for too long. It made me realize that I can't live in the future…I have to live in the present. All though, this may not be the right time for an epiphany...

We crossed boarder lines, and I heard Paul curse. That wouldn't put them off for long, though. I knew that Jacob would insist that since we crossed their line that it would be okay to pursue chase over onto our territory. I rolled my eyes as I heard that argument actually start. We were out of hearing range in seconds.

"This isn't going to be good," I murmured.

"No, probably not," Jasper agreed. "But you have a loving family that will be with you through the whole thing."

"True," I agreed, smiling.

He was right, though—whatever problems one of us had, it became all of our problems. We never once left Bella when she was in danger—despite the fact that Edward made us all leave for her safety—and it was be horribly wrong for me to assume that they'd, as in our family, stand by and watch. They'll be here, willing to do whatever it takes to keep us all happy…and together. Forever.

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**A/N Ooo, that last paragraph was kind of eerie, wasn't it? Being in Alice's mind is totally weird! I know I do it nowhere near close to perfect, but it's still fun to try to think like her and see how her and Jasper's relationship goes about, don't you? Fun, fun, fun! **

**I have no life anymore, do I? I am a total slave to fanfiction! You all have no idea…just because I almost never update doesn't mean that I'm not always writing. I have eleven different stories that I'm writing (not all posted on ff) and it's hard to keep up sometimes…give me a break! **

**And I've already started writing the next chapter so…**

**Review, pretty, pretty, pretty please! Because you love me? PLEASE?! **

**Click the…uh…button whose color is the mix of white and black! Ha! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Hey! Oh my God! I couldn't stand to wait to update…I just HAD to! I love the reviews…I only got a few for the last chapter, but that could be because I didn't wait so long to update this time…either way, I'm updating now! WHOO!**

…**I don't know. I'm weird. Lol. Enjoy the update!**

**Disclaimer: I fricking wish I owned! **

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**Edward's POV**

I was getting ready to leave for Olympia with Bella, when the front door of our mansion was torn down.

"Carlisle! Edward! Bella!" Alice cried.

"Alice! You have to keep calm," Jasper scolded her.

"I can't," she sobbed. "Not after what we…_I_ just did."

I grabbed Bella in my arms, and met the pair downstairs. They were in an argument.

"Hey," I said, and apparently they didn't hear me._ "Hey!"_

They stopped short, and looked at me. "What's going on?" I questioned.

Alice looked like she was about to cry, and Jasper was trying to calm her down with his power…and it wasn't working as well as it should have been.

"Alice?" Bella asked, and she was reaching out for her. "Alice, are you okay?"

I set her down, and Alice rushed over to her. She enveloped Bella in a huge hug.

"Oh, Bella," she sobbed. Jasper laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

_Edward, _Alice thought to me. _I did something so stupid._

I raised one eyebrow.

_I wandered onto werewolf territory._

I stopped breathing.

_It was an honest mistake, Edward! But they found me—because of my big mouth—and now they're looking for us. _

I knew that she was referring to the werewolves. A growl became pronounced in the back of my throat.

"How could you let this happen?" I hissed at her, and she flinched.

_I'm so sorry…so, so sorry…_

"Tell that to her!" I said, pointing to Bella. "Weren't you thinking of Bella at all?"

"Of course I was!" Alice cried. "She was all I could think about!"

"Me?" Bella asked, appalled. She pulled back from Alice. "Tell what to me? Someone please tell me what's going on."

Jasper peeled Alice off of Bella and pulled her over to the side. I heard him explaining what had happened…Bella's face turned a deadly pale. I yearned to comfort her, but I needed to make sure she was safe, first. That was the most important thing.

I dragged Alice into the backyard. I stomped back and forth across the grass in front of her.

"You got us into this—you're going to help us get out," I ordered.

She nodded her head. "Of course. I never thought differently."

I thought for a moment. "We need Carlisle. Carlisle!" I yelled.

He was there instantly. "I already heard from Jasper."

I nodded once. I expected as much.

"We need to solve this rationally…do you think that they would overlook this?" Carlisle asked. I shot him a look that obviously said _no. _

"Okay. Then we should talk to them. Maybe they'll understand?" It sounded like a question.

"And maybe they won't," I snapped. I took a deep breath. "We don't have much time to think this through properly…" I paused. I looked up into Carlisle's eyes. "Play it by ear?"

"Play it by ear," he agreed. His eyes were solemn. "There's not much else we can do right now."

My attention turned back to the living room, where Bella sat on the couch with Alice's arms around her. They were both crying.

I sighed, and walked back through the threshold and to my love. I looked pointedly at Alice, then to Bella. Alice let her grip loosen, and I took Bella into a strong embrace.

"I don't want to lose you," she cried, then started to sob harder. Her tiny arms tightened around my waist.

I kissed her forehead, then kept my lips there. "You'll never lose us," I promised. "We will always be here, fighting for you. And for us. You need to be strong, Bella…I know it's hard—more than hard, it's almost unbearable. But we are a united front—we can't do this without you," I said, my voice passionate. "We need you."

Her eyes attempted to focus on mine. Of course they never would.

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask."

She nodded, then ducked her head into my chest again. I put my nose to her hair, and inhaled—resisting the wine while enjoying the bouquet. I smiled slightly.

_Those god damn, no good, evil parasites…_

_Why can't they just learn to leave us be? Just go back to where they came from!_

_Bella…I need to see you…it can't be true…you're not blind! I won't believe it!_

_I'm not sure there's any way to really be rational about this, this time…we've already risked too much by making peace with them before. I don't know if we can do that again._

The first thought was Paul. The second was Embry. The third was Jacob, and the last was Sam. I felt like I was going to throw up. They were here already…

I heard a pounding on the front door. My heart sunk.

"Let us in or we'll come by force!"

I looked around at the faces of my family. The rest had joined us by now—Esme, Rosalie, Emmett—and were being informed as we spoke. We all froze.

Would this be the last time I ever saw their faces? Would this be the last time I saw…_Bella's _face? Worried and sick? Gorgeous and ever-so beautiful?

"Bella," I whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whimpered, as four werewolves pounded through what was left of the front door.

I hugged Bella tighter as the wolves attacked.

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**A/N DUN DUN DUN!!**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Reviews were awesome for the last chapter! I'll cut this short and just say, "I hope you like it!"**

**Disclaimer: -sigh- I still don't own...**

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**Bella's POV**

I was already crying helplessly, and that didn't help anything. It only made things worse.

I heard a loud crashing noise, and Edward hugged me recklessly close to his chest. I could barely breathe he was holding me so tight. My breath was coming in slow gasps as I tried to maintain regular breathing. I trembled under Edward's arms.

I heard a sharp, familiar kneeling, and I stopped breathing. My eyes lolled back into my head, and I grew limp. I lay in Edward's shocked arms.

"Bella!" he cried.

Even though I was unable to move or concentrate entirely, I was still conscience. I still heard, still felt…

I was pulled over to somewhere and laid down on something comfortable…

I couldn't concentrate on that for long…I heard another sound…a scream? It hurt my ears. It wasn't until my throat started to burn that I realized it was me.

Still limp as ever, I moaned. I could do nothing to help my families…to make them shut up and make another treaty. It was so stupid to fight, but apparently they don't exactly see that. Blood and gore…stupid boys. At least Alice, Rosalie and Esme had this in proportion, and were only fighting to save their loves' lives. They are so noble…

I heard a scream that wasn't mine. A girl's, by the sound of it…the screech was high…soft, soprano, a tinkling of Bells…

_Alice!_

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no…_

Another sound…a growl. A growl so familiar that I would recognize it even in my dreams. Even in death.

I heard air rushing by. Most likely Edward moving so fast he was invisible…my mind trailed off unwillingly…

Something furry brushed my forehead, and then a whip of air followed with a roar…

My subconscious told me that Jacob had brushed his cheek on my face and Edward got pissed. Just guessing.

I was so tired…so tired…

The world slipped away from under my fingers.

:

More air rushing, but all around me now. Running…running…running…

Someone was carrying me and running. Either a vampire or a werewolf, I couldn't tell. I was beyond feeling right now.

I could smell, though. It smelled…sweet…too sweet…familiar beyond belief…but not as familiar as I would have wished.

"Bella?" a panicked voice asked. "Are you awake?"

I moaned.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. "You're okay now. Everything is okay."

Her scent filled my nose, and my sense of feeling was slowly starting to return. My legs had fallen asleep.

"Rosalie, where's Edward?" I asked.

"He's fine," she responded.

"Where is he?" I repeated.

"He's…busy," she said nervously. "You can see him later…"

It seemed that that was all I would be getting out of her. She was turning anxious.

"Okay."

She ran, me in her arms, for the longest time. It seems like years, but it could have only been minutes. Time really doesn't have a meaning when you have forever to look forward to…it seemed like that for me already, and I wasn't even a vampire.

"Bella…" she started, hesitant.

"Yes?"

"You do know by now that I truly don't hate you, right?"

"I know that, Rosalie," I lied.

She sighed nervously. "Bella, you know I only act this way because—,"

"Because you think I'm throwing my life away."

I imagined her nodding.

"Look at it through my point of view, though," I started. I didn't stop to let her respond. "I love Edward. He's my whole world…well, I'm sure you know that." I smiled a little. "I've risked my life for him and I always will…I would die for him. I'm _going _to die for him. As long as he makes good on him promise, that is. And the fact that he kept me after all that we've been through is reason enough to prove he feels the same way about me…I have no idea how or why, but he loves me too. I plan to always be there for him and love him for eternity…and I very well can't do that if I'm old and crippled, can I?" I held back a wince. "And even if I did choose to live out my human life instead of being changed, then we all know what Edward would do—find some way to get himself killed when I died. It would never be long enough for him…I'm not _good _enough for him…" I sighed.

Rosalie hissed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, alarmed.

"You're kidding me, right, Bella?" she asked, thick annoyance in her voice.

"About what?" I asked, totally lost.

"You think you're not good enough for Edward?" she asked in the same tone.

"Yes," I said slowly.

"How could you think that? You're the best god damn thing that's ever happened to him. You make him so happy it's insane. I haven't ever seen him smile so much since I met him, or care about us even a fraction of how much he loves you. And you think…" her voice trailed off. "You have no idea."

"I probably don't," I agreed. "I have no idea what he was like before I met him."

"You want to know?" she asked.

I nodded.

"He was so…how do I explain it…stuck-up, kind of. He thought he was complete. When he would look at us, you could tell he was happy, but he was always missing something. An incomplete void in his life…he had no idea what it was, though. And he never once could understand the bonds Emmett and I, Alice and Jasper, and Carlisle and Esme had. He never knew how wonderful love was, or how it could destroy a person. Even though he has the power to read minds, he thought us insane and had no idea how strong a bond between two people could get. He just didn't sympathize.

"And when he met you…" She paused. "There was such a difference in him. How he talked, acted, and even the air around him was different. He would get this faraway and dreamy look in his eyes. He started to empathize with us. He started to understand how much love could change a person, and how impossibly strong it could be.

"Bella, you truly have absolutely no idea how much it killed him to leave you. The second he ran from you, when he left you there by your house, he came back to our house with an oddly blank expression…you could tell that he was hiding some emotion from us. Of course, Alice and Jasper were already gone, so they couldn't see it. But they got the gist of it…Oh, and remember when I called Edward to tell him that you jumped off the cliff and died?" She waited for me to answer, and I nodded ever so slightly. There were tears streaming down my cheeks, but she tried to ignore that, and continued. "He sounded so miserable and alone that I almost hung up the phone and just tried to forget about it. But I thought that he had the right to know, you know? He did love you, after all. His reaction was so strong; I never had imagined he would be so eager to end himself because of a human…" She gulped. "I would never be able to do that…I would be so unhappy and miserable for the rest of eternity, and I would miss Emmett so much…but I'm too big a coward to be able to just end myself like that.

"You don't know how much Edward loves and needs you. You're the only reason he's still 'living', you know that, right? He would never have been able to become the man he is today if you hadn't come into his life. He would still be the same bleak, boring Edward Cullen that would refuse to have a decent wrestling match with my husband." I imagined a small smile on her luscious lips. "Can't you see that you deserve him? That you're more than good enough for him?"

Tears were slowly coming faster. If I spoke, then I would be sobbing in a second. I was trembling in her arms as it was. But I knew that Rosalie deserved a response, and not just to have me keep nodding. So I tried to speak. I did my best to control my voice and to make it not shake.

"I understand. I truly do, Rosalie. Thank you so much for telling me that. I know how hard it must be for you to talk to me…" my voice was thick with tears. "But you do know I love him just as much? That I would die a thousand times over for him to be happy? He is my angel, and I would be literally dead right now if it weren't for Edward. He's saved me in more ways than one. I owe everything and anything to him, and I love him with all my heart and soul. Isn't that the point? I'm proving that to him soon enough…I'm giving him my soul, if he'll still let me." I moved my hand to my heart, and felt it trying to pound its way out of my chest. I also knew that when I became immortal that it would kill Edward. Of course he would be happy, I hoped, but I knew how much he loved the human Bella. He had said once that he just adored the sound of my heartbeat, and that he could pick it out from miles away. And he loves to see me blush…Alice once had told me that she thought it was a "turn on" for him. I laughed silently. I also guessed that he loved how fragile and innocent I was. Innocent? Too much so. And fragile…I know he thinks of me as some porcelain doll that would shatter the first time it fell to the ground. I knew that I would most likely end up killing myself unconsciously if I stayed human. Who knows? I _am_ only eighteen…

And the clumsiest person on earth.

"No matter what happens, Bella, you will always be a part of our family," she said fiercely. The tears had stopped, but one more found its way down my cheek.

"Thank you," I whispered.

She was silent, and I took that as a silent, "You're welcome."

"We're here," Rosalie said quietly.

"We're…where?" I asked. I cocked one eyebrow.

"We are in Salem, Oregon," she replied, matter-of-factly.

In a moment of panic, I stopped breathing. "Why the hell are we in Oregon?"

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**A/N Hm? Oregon you say? What could Rosalie and Bella be doing there?! If you really want to know, well, I can't help you unless you review, my lovelies! **

**I know there's a whole chapter in Eclipse where Rosalie talks to Bella, but I thought that they should hammer out all of the other details. You think so? Was it good? Or extremely terrible? I can have no idea whatsoever until you tell me. I am so curious!  
**

**Click the pretty sky blue and periwinkle combination button!! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Wow, I didn't know that people would be mean (in a good way) because I left you guys off at that part in the last chapter. It was a little different…and you'll find out in the next chapter why they didn't go to Denali. **

**All of the reviews I get are awesome and amazing! You have no idea how happy it makes me when I get them. I treasure each and every one. I usually don't reply to them because I either forget or I don't really have time to…I'll try to from now on! Just so you know that I didn't forget about you. :) **

**Disclaimer: Only the plot's mine… **

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**Bella's POV**

Rosalie was silent for a moment before she answered. "To be safe."

Safe? "From what?" I asked.

"Because…we did some damage to the wolves and we wanted to make sure you were safe. We aren't sure if they'll want revenge." Her voice was dark.

Revenge? For what? "Why would they want revenge? _What happened while I was out?_"

"We took down one of the wolves. I'm not quite sure which one, but he was fairly small." I pulled out two faces from my memory—Embry and Seth. "We're pretty sure he's dead, but we didn't exactly stop to see. They sure as hell were tough, I can tell you that; they didn't go down easily. They're fighters, every single one of them. I know that this may sound odd coming from me, but I do feel immense guilt for what happened. I know that you care for all of them, and it tore a piece of me—and most definitely Edward—out every time I heard one of them scream. We were petrified of what would happen in result of that rumble. We didn't want to hurt anyone…"

Her voice trailed, and that last sentence made me think of something else. A cold sweat broke our on the surface of my skin, and I was suddenly sweating despite the cool wind blowing all around me. "Where's Alice? Is she okay?" I asked frantically, out of breath. The memory of her scream made me tremble in this archangel's arms.

She forced a quiet chuckle. "Alice is absolutely perfect."

Relief poured through me, like air after being underwater for too long. But that sensation didn't last for long. "Then what happened?" I asked unwillingly.

She sighed. "Don't jump to any conclusions, okay? You see, Jasper was one-on-one with a huge wolf—I have no idea which one—and he felt something…odd, as he put it. He had felt it when you were losing conciseness, but I have no idea how he felt that with all of the other raging emotions in the room…anyway, he turned for a split second to see if you were okay, to see what happened, and in that moment the wolf jumped him. Alice, jumping to conclusions, thought that he was losing the battle. She shrieked at the top of her lungs, and then pounced on the wolf that was on top of Jasper…that was the wolf who may or may not be dead." She paused, and I was glad that I couldn't see the look on her face. "She may be tiny, but she could kill anyone or anything when something she loves is in danger. That little pixie freak sure can pack a punch," she joked, but I also knew that there was also some truth to that. I shuddered, thinking about the welfare of that wolf…

"Okay," I said slowly, trying to keep my voice calm. "Is everyone safe, then? No one was hurt?" That was all I cared about. Keeping my family safe…I've already failed with one of my wolf family, and I was about to break in half with the pressure if _anyone _was hurt in any way from my vampire family.

"No one from our family was hurt," she promised. I could hear the truth in her voice, and I visibly relaxed.

"Thank God," I whispered. I thought for a minute. "Remind me again why we're in Oregon?"

She laughed easier this time. "This is going to sound really weird," she started, "but one day Alice and I were bored…we were going shopping in LA and we decided to road trip through here." She paused, remembering. "Would you believe me if I said we were really bored? Well, we were—our sense of adventure was taking over, and we decided to explore. First, we stopped here—Alice flirted with some guy to get a free map and gas for the car—and then we drove to the Cascade Range. It was really quite boring over there, nothing but grazing land for livestock. A lot of farmers over there…"

I waited patiently for the rest of her story. It had been a while since Rosalie had talked to me, and I figured that if we talked more and more that we would someday maybe be able to get along pretty well…

So I waited.

"We're not even halfway to where we…er, 'did our thing', yet, though. This is just where we're stopping for the night…Edward had insisted that we stop at a Motel so that you could get a good night's sleep. And he wanted to talk to you." I felt a small tugging sensation going upwards, then down…shrugging. "Sorry, but I have no idea what he wants to talk about. I'm not the mind reader, here." I imagined her smile lighting up the dark crevices of wherever we were. Her smile could brighten even the darkest of nights.

"That's okay," I whispered. "Thank you."

"It was nothing at all," she replied.

"Would…" I gulped, suddenly shy.

"What is it?" she asked, curious.

"Would you mind telling me the rest of that story later? The one with you and Alice?"

"Of course," she said kindly. "I wasn't anywhere close to finished, anyway."

I just realized that we were standing still. "Would you be okay if I set you down for a moment?" Rosalie asked me.

I nodded. She set me down on hard ground, and I had to grab her arm to steady myself. We had been running for awhile, and I was very, very dizzy. My head was swimming.

She took my hand, then led me forward. I heard a soft chime of actual bells, and a rush of warm air blew at us. This ground was tile; I could tell by the way Rosalie's shoes clicked. I had no sense of direction to where we were going, and I was more than a little paranoid. She squeezed my shaking hand slightly.

"Excuse me?" Rosalie asked.

"Y-yes?" a man stammered. By his voice, I estimated that he was somewhere between nineteen and twenty five years old. I felt bad for the man—being infatuated by Rosalie. She is quite a sight. I laughed silently.

"I have reservations here with my family," she informed him. "Cullen."

"Oh, okay, just, er, hold on a minute, ma'am…" he stumbled over his words, and I sighed.

I heard him typing something on a computer. After a couple more _swish_ing sounds, he had apparently handed Rosalie a room key.

"Thank you," she said sweetly. She didn't wait for him to reply. She just picked up my hand again, and towed me over to another part of the building.

Her hand was cool and smooth under mine. It was hard, but that was only because she was made of granite. Oh, how I longed to see her beautiful face once again…

To see _his _face again…knowing I never would brought a tear down my cheek.

"We're getting on an elevator," the angel holding my hand informed me quietly. She probably only told me that so that I wouldn't freak out when we were moving downward. People would think me insane…hell, I was anyway. I didn't care what people thought anymore.

I heard a little _ding, _and we were shuffled forward. Rosalie's stilettos still clicked against the hard floor, and it was oddly calming. Familiar.

"Wait for it…" she muttered suddenly.

"Bella!" the most amazing voice I had ever heard called to me.

A sob broke from my throat, and I wrenched myself from Rosalie, and into Edward's arms. He hugged me fiercely, and I thought I heard him cry, too. "Bella, Bella, Bella…it's over, sweetheart, it's over…it's okay…" he said softly, and I knew that there was no way in hell that I would ever be able to do this without him.

"Edward," I sobbed.

"Yes, love, I'm here," he replied, his tone soft and sweet.

"Don't ever make me go through that again," I said, trying to be harsh, but the tears made it a little hard.

"Never again," he whispered, tilting my head up. He pressed his lips against mine, silencing my cries. He answered every unspoken question I had, right then. I tangled my hands in his hair, and knew that there was no place I would rather be.

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**A/N Aww! Happy reunion! I love Edward/Bella moments like that…I just had to slip it in there, I couldn't help myself. **

**So? How many unanswered questions do you have? I know that I have something close to short term memory loss, so if you don't tell me about something I didn't answer there's a possibility that I'll forget about it…I tend to do that a lot. But I'll reread this chapter before I do anymore typing…**

**Tell me if you love it or hate it! You know that I'm dying to know. **

**Click the aqua-ish colored button! (And review!) **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N I love all of the sweet, angry reviews I get! Since apparently I'm not allowed to do anything to Seth…-cough Tassel630 cough- I'll assure you all now, nothing has happened to Seth. And yes, when I read it over, I did say that the wolf that had jumped Jasper was both "huge" and "fairly small"…I was totally confused…I had two different wolves in mind at the time, but I guess you'll just have to read this chapter to find out what one it is, don't you? :D **

**Disclaimer: not mine…-sigh-**

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**Bella's POV**

Edward waited for me to stop crying as my tears soaked his shirt. He held me close, allowing no room between us. It was slightly hard to breathe, but I wasn't about to complain. The feel of his body against mine made me calm down some more, but after a while I started to shiver.

"Here, let's get you inside our room," Edward said, wrapping one arm around my waist and pulling me along. I rested my head against him.

We walked for a minute or two in silence. I didn't mind; I was just overjoyed to be with Edward again. I took a deep breath, inhaling his mysteriously wonderful scent. I was pretty sure he did the same to me when he gently took my wrist, and held it up—I guessed to his face. I felt him breathe on it, telling me that my suspicion was true.

We stopped briefly, and I heard a small _click. _Then Edward led me forward again, and put me on something comfortable…I felt with my hand and guessed that it was the bed.

I sniffled. What a silly thing to do. I was here with Edward, he was safe, and I should have no problems. But, being me, I was too worried about everything else going on to have a peace of mind.

"Edward…" I started. The words I was about to say weren't easy, and I hesitated. I took a deep breath, and began again. "Edward. Which wolf was hurt…when you fought? Or…killed?" I choked on the last word, my voice breaking.

Edward sighed softly and wrapped his arms around my waist again, sitting on the bed next to me. He held me for a long time. Then he took a deep breath of his own.

"Bella, love…"

I nodded, cuing him to keep going.

He nuzzled his face into my collarbone, and I felt when his lips moved, although his voice wasn't muffled at all. "He wasn't killed," he whispered, evading my real question.

I sighed in relief, but crossed my arms over my chest. He knew that I knew he was keeping something from me. "Who?" I asked.

Another unnerving silence. It was a while before he spoke again.

"It was Quil," he whispered.

My heart stopped beating. Quil. I hadn't even thought about the most careless of the pack. The only one who thought that no danger could befall them…

"Quil?" I whispered back, heartbroken.

I didn't care for him the most, and it wasn't like he was my best friend, but…it was such a horrible image to see him hurt. He was so helpless and innocent…

"Yes."

It was silent for what seemed like hours after that.

"What happened to him? Is he very badly hurt?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"No, Bella, he's okay," Edward responded. I narrowed my eyes, and I heard him groan. "Do you really want to know what Alice did to him?" he asked, doubt in his voice.

I nodded warily, due to the tone he used. Was it really that bad?

I thought about it, and realized that it could be. Alice may be very small, but she's stronger than one hundred men put together. And a thousand times fiercer.

"Well when Alice had realized that Jasper might've been losing the fight, she ran over and twisted Quil's arm, breaking it. Then she stomped on his leg, breaking that, too. And…remember what the newborn vampire did to Jacob when we battled against Victoria's army?" Edward asked. He sounded very cautious when he said Jake's name, trying not to trigger anything—and Victoria's name came out a growl, making me shudder. I nodded. "Alice did that, too—she wrapped her arms around Quil very, very tightly. I'm sure you can imagine how that turned out," he added quietly. He sighed. "He's in recovery, and he'll be perfectly fine," he assured. "He's healing miraculously, just like werewolves do."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for all those reassurances."

"I'm just making sure that you know he's okay. You love to throw things out of proportion," Edward said.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"You're welcome," he said, a smile in his voice.

"Rosalie?" I asked.

"Yes, Bella?"

"Would you tell me the rest of that story, now?" I asked. I needed a distraction.

"Sure."

I heard soft footsteps across the carpet. Edward rearranged me so that I was sitting in his lap, and he set his chin on my shoulder from behind. I relaxed, melting into him. I pressed my right cheek against his left. I sighed happily.

I heard her voice from not far in front of me.

"Where did I leave off? Hmmmm…"

"The Cascade Range," I answered.

"Right," she acknowledged. "So we went to the ever-so-boring Cascade Range. Like I said, not much there. So Alice and I decided to look further." She paused. "We ran through Idaho, not stopping. We didn't have reason to…We went south, to Utah. Alice had a lot of fun there." I imagined her rolling her eyes, when she used that tone. "She went nuts. I have no idea how she could have so much fun there. So she dragged me over to see the Mormon Temple, right? She treated that dusty old place like it was a palace full of wonders and dreams. Oh, and then she took me to Arches National Park. It was too…red, and desert-y. Too hot for my taste. It didn't really bother me, but I'm just so used to Forks. Then to Lake Powell we went. She wanted to see if we could go canoeing." She sounded a little miffed. "That girl sure is strange…anyway, when she was _finally _done in Utah, off to Colorado we went.

"We ran and ran and ran. We weren't quite sure where we were going, in the sense of direction, but I didn't really care. Even if we did get lost, it wasn't like we were human. We wouldn't dehydrate and get really weak and eventually die. We had to run into someone eventually. But, after about two more days, we came across the Grand Junction. I had no idea what Alice was doing—she seemed so sure of herself, but for what? Every few minutes, from the moment we hit the Colorado border, she would look at my slyly, a smirk on her face. It bothered the hell out of me. She wouldn't tell me where she was taking me.

"Not long after we hit a town called Grand Junction, Alice had led me to where the Colorado River used to be; it's currently known as the Grand Canyon." She paused, maybe for dramatic effect. I waited patiently.

"'Rosalie, be patient—we'll get there soon.'" She mimicked Alice perfectly. Then she sounded annoyed. "She kept me running. The endless desert was killing me—I was starting to get extremely impatient. Eventually, I sat down right where I was, and refused to move until she told me where she was taking me. Then she told me that we were there, and I was very confused. She told me that she had a vision." A short silence followed. "She explained what she saw—her and I, finding this cave. It was huge—it had so many caverns and other tunnels leading out from it that it was insane. And then I almost turned right back around and took the next plane home when she told me that we would be _renovating _said cave.

"You know how Alice can be…an eternal annoyance. I gave in to her wishes without grace." I felt that she then started to edit. To save me from some more of Alice, or because of something else, I couldn't be sure. It made me curious.

"We spent weeks on that nasty thing. Alice was definitely going over the top—she carved out the walls perfectly, made the entrances wider, put propane lanterns in the darkest corners.

"She ran back to town, once. Told me that she would be back in a little while, and not to worry—she would be back before dawn. I was apparently on 'cave duty,' as she called it." I could almost see her roll her eyes. "As if it needed to be protected…as if anyone could even _find _it…" she muttered.

"She kept her promise—she was back before dawn. But with one sports car filled to the top with furniture and other…things. I dubbed her insane.

"Then she did the unbelievable. She started to _decorate _the creepy cave! She placed a chair, a mattress, and even blankets on the floor…I think she even put up a few pictures. She claimed one of the caves as her own room, and she made me one. She might've made all of us one…who knows? It's Alice, for crying out loud!

"Every day she would bring something else out there. She kept me there—I have no idea how I kept sane. She thought of it as 'a fun slumber party!' when I thought of it as 'another day in hell.' But, after a few weeks, we _finally_ went home.

"I told everyone of the horrors I saw there," she said, a smile in her voice. "Alice was dancing around, and telling everyone that we were going to go 'camping' there sometime soon." She snorted. "Right. Well, I guess that some good came out of that place. Never thought that we could use it again."

"Very useful for us," Edward murmured in my ear. I placed my right hand on his right cheek, holding his face there. I turned my face so that my lips were pressed against his jaw. I didn't care that Rosalie was watching—I had already forgotten her presence. But then she sighed, and I remembered again. I began to think about her story.

"So…that's where we're going, then?" I asked her. "To those caves?"

"Yes. For the time being, anyway…"

"We can't risk having them follow our scent," Edward explained quietly. "We have to go somewhere where the wolves wouldn't be capable of finding us. They're still part human, which means that it wouldn't be easy to try to find us in the middle of the desert. It's the safest place for you to be right now, until we think of somewhere else."

I nodded slowly.

He pressed his lips to my neck. I shivered.

"Edward!" Alice called, in such a panicked voice that my heart froze over with ice.

Edward stiffened beside me, and I heard Rosalie cry out in…pain? Why would she be in pain—?

Rosalie—her arms were not as muscular as Edward's—picked me up, and set me down on something cold—tiles? Was this the bathroom? My breath was coming faster.

"Stay here," Rosalie whispered, voice broken.

I had no choice but to obey.

Edward's agonized screams tore through my heart, knocking me breathless.

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**A/N I am so sorry…I absolutely hate to see Edward hurt, but it's just part of the story…**

**Well…I guess if you want to see what happens, you'll have to review, huh?**

**Click the blue-grey button…**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N No one is going to like me. This really sucks. You are all going to hate me, and I will be forever sad. I hope that some of you will forgive me…**

**Disclaimer: still not mine. **

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**Bella's POV**

I was already on my knees, so I started to crawl. I crawled on the bathroom floor, hoping to find a means of escape—Edward was hurt, Edward was in _pain_, and I didn't even know why. I had to find him. I _had _to.

My hands shaking, they trailed the wall until I felt something that felt like a doorknob. I gulped, then turned it slowly. I opened the door, taking a tiny step out. Oh, how I wish I could see…it would be so convenient right now.

"Alice?" I whispered. "Rosalie?" My voice was shaking too.

Edward screamed again. The sound of it tore open the gaping hole in my chest, the one that Edward had left behind when he had…left me, and I made a choking sound. The edges burned where I touched them, trying to keep myself together.

I heard his breath coming faster as he panted, breathless. It was coming from down lower, so I assumed he was on the floor. I fell to my knees, and I scrambled to where I heard him.

"Edward?" I asked, but my voice had no volume—I knew he would hear me, regardless.

"Bella," he gasped. "Bella, run, get away from here—,"

He broke off mid-sentence, and he growled in pain.

I heard another scream, as soon as Edward's silenced. Female, high, shrill, too familiar—

It was the sound of silver bells turning black. Alice's shriek pierced the tense air, cutting it like a knife. I could almost see her withering on the floor, somewhere outside of this hotel room—in the hallway, maybe. I had no idea. I didn't want to dwell on that, because of the fact that Alice sounded like she was being killed.

For all I knew at this point, she could be.

"Edward," I cried. "Edward, what's going on?" I was more then consumed in panic.

"Bella," he whispered in an agonized voice. "We have to get you out of here…but there's nowhere to go…"

"What do you mean?"

"They're here," he confirmed in a growl.

"Who's here?" I asked urgently.

"The Voltu—," He broke off again, screaming.

I grabbed his hand, which was curled into a ball, and held it tightly in both of my hands. I brought it to my lips, and held it there. "Please, Edward," I sobbed.

Did he mean to say the Volturi? If that was the case…then…

Then we were all dead. There was no hope for us, then, in the end. It would always have come to this—the Volturi coming and killing us all. Maybe saving Edward and Alice, under Aro's orders. He would have kept them—especially Alice—to "brighten up" his "household." It was unpreventable, then—I knew, better than anyone else, that Edward would have found a way out of having to change me. That he would have found some ridiculous excuse to keep me human. I knew that I should have just had Carlisle change me right after graduation. Then we could all be living happily, and we wouldn't be in this convoluted mess.

"Bella," Edward cried. "Go," he ordered, voice cracking.

"Edward, I'm not leaving you—,"

"Go!" he barked fiercely.

I was sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't leave you again…I wouldn't be able to survive…"

"Please…for me," he begged.

I found his lips, and brought my shaking ones to his. I kissed him gently, then stood up unevenly, trying to find a way out.

"To your left—," Edward started to say, but he cut off suddenly. I heard no noise, so I waited till I heard his uneven breathing to start again. I turned to my left, and held my arms out in front of me so I wouldn't crash into anything.

There was a gaping hole in the wall, which had perfectly straight lines around the edges…the door. I went through the hole and out to where I assumed the hallway was.

More yelling…not Edward or Alice this time. Was that…Rosalie? No…no, no, no, no…

Everything I love has to die, doesn't it? Why does this always happen to me?

After wallowing in self-pity for a moment, I collected myself and started to feel my way down the hall. "Hello," I choked out. "Is anyone here?" I called. I wondered if the vampires could hear me.

It suddenly clicked. Yes, it was the Volturi coming to kill us. No, I had no idea what was going on. But I just figured out why I hadn't heard any of my family screaming in pain at the same time, why everyone's been so panicked, why Edward had told me to run—

Jane was here.

A cold sweat broke out on the surface of my skin as I froze. Where was Edward? I couldn't just leave him there all alone! What was I thinking? I turned to go back to him, then paused again. I weighed the options I had in front of me. I could go back to Edward, and do what little I could to make him feel better. Or I could just stop all this nonsense now, and find either Jane or Aro and give myself up to them. Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice…Edward. They didn't have to die now because of me. I could save them. I would die for them.

I stood up tall as I tried not to think about what I was about to do. "Jane? Felix? Demetri?" I called, trying to stay cool.

"Bella," a childlike monotone said in recognition. I almost imagined how Jane's dark eyes would pierce. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Take me, and leave my family alone." My voice sounded far braver than I felt.

My hands trembling, I waited for this darkened archangel to say the words that would define my fate.

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**A/N Review…please…**

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	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Um…wow! No one hates me! YAY! –happy dance- I was afraid that some people would stop reading (some people said they almost did) but please, don't! Not even for the sake of my story could I kill a Cullen. How many times have I said that now? Geez! Well, enjoy the next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: nope, nope, nope. Still only the evil plot's mine. **

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**Bella's POV**

As I waited for Jane to answer, I focused on relaxing my tense muscles. First my fists…my eyebrows…my shoulders…

Halfway through that exercise, Jane spoke. "But that's not your decision, is it?" My heart stopped beating as I absorbed those words. They were almost exactly the same as the last time I saw Jane…when Edward and Carlisle had tried to save the newborn vampire, Bree.

"Please," I whispered. "You can do whatever you want with me. Just don't hurt them."

"Would you let me bite you now?" she asked, and I imagined her eyes twinkling.

"Yes," I said honestly, without hesitation.

"Why do you care for them so much?" she asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"How can I not?" I responded quickly. "They love me for me, and they've protected me from myself. I make Edward happy, and he makes me happy. I love them." My voice broke three times. I choked back tears.

There was a short silence.

"What would you do if Aro ordered us to kill them?" Jane asked. My head snapped up as anger flared through me.

"I would tell you to kill me," I said angrily. "It would be better off if he didn't keep my family as his _pets,_ anyway. That would be worse than you sparing my life. I'd rather you turned me into a vampire and used me for your sick needs than to keep my family hostage forever in the depths of your fantastic _city _of Volterra," I growled.

"You have got some nerve," she noted, calm as ever. "Since I _am_ the only thing keeping you alive as we speak. Felix still wants dibs on draining you," she added lightly. I winced.

"Then why don't you let him?" I asked through my teeth.

"Where would the fun in that be?"

I shivered at the threat in her tone.

"That's quite enough, Jane," a familiar voice called.

"Yes, master," she agreed, in a resigned tone.

"Ahhhh," Aro sighed. "Why, it's Bella! How delightful to see you again!"

I nodded once, teeth clenched.

"It's been so long since we've last met. How are you?" he asked divinely. My eyes narrowed. That caught his attention.

"Oh!" he gasped. "Your eyes!"

"Yes. I got in an accident. I can't see," I said flatly. I vaguely wondered where Edward and Alice were…

"Oh, how terrible," Aro said, agony on his voice. "I'm so sorry."

I stood like a statue, unmoving, unfeeling.

"Jane, dearest, would you mind going and getting Alice and Edward?" Aro asked politely.

"_No!" _I shouted. "No! No, no, no, no, no!"

"What's the matter?" Aro asked, shocked.

"Leave my family alone," I almost growled. Where the hell did I get all this confidence from?

"I wasn't planning on hurting them," he responded, confusion sweeping his tone.

"Oh?" I asked, my anger not settling down in the least. "Then what did you plan to do with them?"

Before he spoke, I heard Edward scream my name in horror. My head whipped around to the sound, and fresh tears sprung to my eyes.

"Let them go!" I cried.

"I'm truly sorry, Bella, but they had promised to change you. I just can't let them go—," Aro started, but I cut him off.

"Take me! Take me, and let them go! Do whatever you want to me, I don't care!" I yelled, hoping my offer would be good enough for him to not be able to resist. "I'll do whatever you want! Kill me, if you feel the need."

"_Bella, no!" _Edward screamed. He overheard easily…

I tried my best to ignore his pleas.

"Please," I whispered.

I heard some semi-familiar voices humming in the background. Edward's agony ceased, and I could just barely make out what the voices were saying.

"We should consider," Aro whispered.

"Yes, but would she comply when we changed her?" a female voice responded. I'd only heard the sound once, but I believed that it was Heidi.

"I think this is a waste of time," Caius chimed in.

"But the potential…" Aro said thoughtfully. "It would be wonderful. Bella would be a charming addition to our family."

"I still don't know if we can trust her," Heidi said.

"What could she do to us? Nothing! It's not as if she would try, anyway. I had gotten a very good look at Edward's thoughts, and Bella is definitely not the 'violent' type. She is too innocent and sweet to do such a thing—she couldn't hurt a fly."

I heard some more murmurs from the trio after that, and, after a few more minutes, I was addressed.

"Bella," Aro said warmly. "I believe that there would be such a great loss in taking you away from your family, no matter how much I would enjoy having you with us. I think that Marcus should make the final decision. So we will wait for him to arrive here—till then, we will have you all on close surveillance, just for precautionary purposes. We don't want anyone trying to get away."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was he joking? This was a sick joke, wasn't it? He was going to give me a small sliver of hope, then tear my heart out and stomp on it.

I felt like I was going to throw up.

The tension in the air disappeared, and I felt a new charge in the atmosphere…

I suddenly felt very, very alone. Not just in my mind, but in presence—there were no other creatures standing by me in the hallway anymore. I was truly alone.

I fell to the floor in a heap. I lay there and sobbed. Someone would find me here…eventually. I could wait. Till then, I needed time to fall to pieces by myself.

As the little shards of my heart worked so hard to put themselves back together, and the tears worked to not slide down my cheeks in pools, I felt cold, marble arms pick me up and cradle me gently but intensely to a smooth chest.

I turned into Edward, sobbing some more. I cried his name softly, and he stroked my hair and told me he loved me over and over again. When I was done with my episode, he took my face in both his hands gingerly. He wiped away the stray tears with his thumbs. I felt an aching in my heart as I longed to see his face.

"They're actually considering it," he whispered in disbelief, almost to himself. "They're actually considering leaving us alone."

"Well, Aro is," I added.

"Yes."

"But…why?" I questioned, lost beyond belief. "Why would he even consider it? Isn't that…_odd _for him to do?"

"Yes," he admitted, "it is. But…Aro has very strong feelings for Marcus, and Aro feels that it would be wrong to not include him in this. You see…remember how Marcus…feels relationships?" he asked me. I nodded. "Well, he is always best at making the decisions for relationship type situations like this one. Aro felt horribly guilty when you were crying about…us, your family, and he saw how deep the bond there goes. Aro's not an imbecile—he realizes that if he takes you, Alice and I that we would be horribly miserable and we would be a nuisance to everyone. And…Aro wants to be sure that we still plan on changing you. Alice has been thinking about that process, so the next time she shakes hands with him, that information will be accessible."

I absorbed all of that. I nodded slowly. "So…we might be free?" I asked, being careful not to let the hope rein me in.

"Exactly," he said, a smile in his voice. "All we have to do now is wait."

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**A/N Yep! You guys, too! All you have to do is wait for the next chapter! But you have to tell me how this one was, first. The reviews for the last two chapters were amazing! Seriously! I got like twelve emails a day with alerts and reviews. I hope that the story doesn't get too bad, so that they don't stop. But hey, I gave you guys some hope, didn't I? Mwahaha I can also take that hope away just as easily…**

**Click the simple gray button and review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Yay! Reviews were great again! I love the enthusiasm. :) hehe. Okay, I started to write this right away, just because people were starting to complain of how little I update. I already was playing what was going to happen in my head like a movie…hope the wait was worth it! **

**Disclaimer: The lovely plot is still the only thing that's mine. Quite depressing, isn't it? **

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**Bella's POV**

Waiting was taking forever.

I paced anxiously in the hotel room, Edward was always there, making sure I didn't run into a dresser or something. At one point, Edward grabbed me around the waist, mid-pace, and dragged me over to the…bed? He put his lips to my ear.

"Relax," he breathed, and I lost all train of thought.

"But I can't," I whined, when I remembered my purpose. "This is taking _forever._"

He chuckled, though the sound was slightly off. "It only seems like forever to you. It's only been four hours."

I groaned, slumping. "Great. And how much longer till Marcus gets here?"

"Alice said that he should be here in about another hour or so," he responded, his lips now gliding up and down from my temple to my jaw.

I trembled. I nodded, and began thinking again.

I have absolutely no idea what Marcus is like. When I saw him the one time he was…reserved, and didn't say much. He was just there, another member of the Volturi family. And yet Aro felt what seemed to be pity because he hadn't helped with the decision to tear my life to pieces. Maybe his opinion matters more than we were lead to believe…or maybe Aro's just insane? At any rate, I could not see any way of us being able to leave unharmed, or have me live. He was a part of the Volturi, and as far as I was concerned, that meant he was just as cruel as his "family" members.

I started to tremble harder, and for far different reasons, then. I again started to remember the pain Edward had been in, just hours ago, from Jane's torturous methods. He had been screaming in agony…there was absolutely nothing I could do…I had had to _leave _him there, to try and pursue his attacker…

I turned, making his lips break contact with my skin, threw my arms around him, and began to sob. For all I knew, because of me, he could be put through that pain again. I could _not _allow that to happen. And I have to enjoy the time I have left with him as well as I can. He would not be miserable in our last hours together. Of course, the fact that I was in his lap crying myself silly probably didn't help that much. But I couldn't bring the tears to stop pouring, or to unlock my arms from their vice around his neck.

Edward automatically wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. His voice held concern. "Bella, there's nothing to worry about, you're going to be alright," his soft voice insisted.

"It's not _me _I'm worried about," I said, impossibly scooting myself closer to him.

"Bella, don't you _dare _worry about me. I will be okay, as will you. We'll get through this. We'll live happily together for the rest of eternity, if that's what you want. I love you, and I would never let anything happen to jeopardize you…us. You're going to have to trust me on this, love. You are strong. You are brave. You are beautiful. Never forget that."

He pulled my face away from his, maybe a few inches, holding my head tightly in both his hands. He must have been searching for something in my expression…

His breath was suddenly coming faster…Then, so fast I wasn't sure what was going on for a moment, he crushed his mouth to mine with a familiar force.

This kiss was rough, urgent. Though I had felt it a few times before, it had a new edge this time. I wasn't sure what that was until he was going over the always-changing boundaries he set.

For a while, Edward and I had cooled down on the kissing scenario. Since the accident, it was mostly just a quick peck or him pressing his lips to mine. Trying not to overwhelm me, he had explained. Bull, I had explained internally…

But when his tongue traced my lower lip, I was more than shocked. I froze, but he wasn't done with me yet. His hands found the small of my back, and he started to rub up and down my back with a small pressure that made my breath quicken as well. I loosened up, and started to kiss him back. His sweet scent filled my mouth, and I gasped.

He still hadn't finished pulling out the surprises on me—his lips pulled on my lower lip softly, tugging. I thought I heard the slight sound of a moan from him. The thought made me giggle, and I pulled away ever-so-slightly, still laughing. He crushed his lips back to mine, twining his hands in my hair. In the few seconds his lips were free, he whispered my name.

My heart was singing in my chest, all my worries forgotten.

"Edward," I sighed, pulling away.

"Yes?" he asked, breathing ragged as well. He pressed his right ear against my chest, listening to my heart.

"I love you," I responded, and there was compassion in my tone. "Always and forever. Thank you."

"_You're_ thanking _me?_" he asked in surprise. "You have no idea how much I need you. I love you, too." He moved his lips back to mine, letting them linger there.

"Edward…" I started, and he moved his lips along with mine.

"Yes?" he asked, and I regretted opening my mouth.

"Ummm…never mind," I said quickly, pulling back.

"Bella," he whined. That reminded me how hard it was for him to not know what I was thinking.

I took a deep breath. "Do you…" I gulped, then tried again. "Do you still plan on…on changing me?" I asked, tripping over my words.

To my intense surprise, he chuckled. "Is that what you were getting at?"

I waited.

"Bella, as long as you want to be with me, and you want to…go through that, I am willing to change you. But the moment your thoughts waver, and you aren't sure about it, then of course I am keeping you human. I will not force you into this life, never. Only if you're a thousand percent sure that this is what you want," he said seriously.

I thought about that for a minute. "I'll always want you…forever," I warned. "If it means that I have to become immortal to achieve forever with you, then so be it. I wouldn't be able to go on if I knew that if you kept me human that you would go off killing yourself when I died. That is inexcusable. But if I were dead, how could I prevent you from…?" I trailed off, a cold sweat breaking across my forehead. I cringed.

"Bella…" he started, but suddenly his breath caught.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Alice is telling me that they're here," he whispered. "I can't hear them yet. They're not close enough."

"Oh," I said, surprised.

Then we weren't alone.

"Edward, they are ready for us," Alice said quietly.

He stood, helping me up as well. "Are you ready?" he asked me.

"Not even a little bit—let's go," I said nervously.

He paused, then brought his lips down to mine once again. It was short, but very sweet. I reached up on my toes, prolonging the moment the best I could. When he pulled away, I sighed lightly. His hand felt for mine, and even that bit of small contact had my heart racing in my chest. I smiled the tiniest bit.

Then my feet were moving forward, and Edward was leading me to where our destiny awaited us.

We walked for a long time. After about ten minutes, I started to sway slightly on my feet. I then realized that I hadn't slept in a very long time—roughly twenty four hours? I couldn't remember. I was too tired to think about that right now. I had my full attention on moving my feet forward correctly, trying not to trip over them. Or air. But after a while that became unbearably impossible, as Edward came to realize. He swept me off my feet in one swift movement, and I was cradled in his arms. Seeing as I was nowhere close to being able to sleep, or even doze off for a bit, I used that time to think.

Edward's slow but sure movements had barely any movement, but if I really concentrated, I could feel a slight rocking. I relished in the fact that Edward was once again holding me in his arms…something became so vitally clear to me.

I could not let what was cradling me in his arms be harmed. This man holding me was the only thing that kept me alive and functioning, and always would be. Nothing—absolutely _nothing_—could happen to him. If it ever did…I shuddered away from the thought, and he instantly hugged me closer to his chest. Nothing would ever happen to him, because I wouldn't let it. Even though I wasn't strong enough to protect him like he could me, I could still sacrifice myself. Yes, I would more than love to die for him. I would happily walk through flames just to see a smile on his lovely, adoring face once again. Of course, he would never let me—he's far too protective of me. But there's the beauty of it, the part that he can't see—he doesn't have to approve. I could simply give myself to the Volturi, and Edward would have to let me go, would have no say. That doesn't mean he would go down without a fight—of course he would fight; with all that he was—but that would not stop the evil family of torturers from taking me from him.

But I could not sacrifice myself. Not that I wasn't willing, but…what if I did? What would Edward do to himself? Would he go back to his original plans of corrupting the peace of Volterra, and walk out into the sunshine, or go on a hunting spree, or throw cars around like simple children's toys? Yes, he would, I decided. If I had learned anything about Edward Cullen, it was that he had the quality of overreaction. He is a very all-or-nothing type of person, and I knew, deep in my heart, that he _would _get himself killed if I died. No matter how much I pled with him…

Like a light bulb had been switched to "On" above my head, a beautiful plan began to form. The imaginary gears started to churn, and the logic was starting to leak into my brain. There was something that I could do! There was no guarantee that it would work…but I could try. Yes, I had to do something…_anything _at this point that could help…but it might hurt Edward…no, it _would_ hurt Edward. I tried to think as objectionably as I could without cringing at the thought of bringing him more pain. He could not know of my plan. For if he did, then Aro would see that in his thoughts, and it would ruin everything. I needed Edward's thoughts to be far clear of this as possible, for I needed him to think of only me at the moment. Nothing else mattered, and I tried to block everything else out except for the fact that I was going to cause him pain. The mere thought of that made me wince, and that helped with the charade of pain in my voice…yet I knew that the pain wasn't a charade. It was real.

"Edward…" I whispered, tears choking back my voice, taking my breath away. That was good, I reminded myself.

"What is it, Bella?" Edward asked anxiously.

I didn't try to make the tears stop. I let them run freely down my face, knowing that this would help so much for my plan, yet break Edward's heart. "I'm so scared," I responded, voice breaking.

I could almost see his brows pulling together. "Bella…we're going to be okay. We're going to get out of this alive." He paused. "Or alive as I'll ever be," he added, trying to lighten up the mood at least a little with some humor. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"But Edward, we probably won't. It's the Volturi we're dealing with," I reminded him. "Not some other vampires who you could easily destroy to protect us…they've wanted you…_us, _as a part of their family for a while now. Do you really think that Aro would let us go, when he has what he wants so close within his reach?" I asked quietly. Unconsciously, I started to tremble. I couldn't help it—the very thought of having to stay in Volterra with Jane, Alec, Aro, Caius, Felix…I shook so hard I felt like a jackhammer.

His voice held nothing but pain and worry. "I know that this may look bad, but…Bella, we have to make it through this. You have absolutely no idea how much I need you, how fundamental you are to my…survival. The pain of losing you is far worse than the change from turning from mortal to immortal. A thousand times more fierce. I thought I was going to burst into flames the moment I thought you were dead the first time I left you. It was so horrible, and I could not stand it. It was…I can't even explain it. The bond you and I share is inexplicable, unexplainable. It's impossible. I'm so wrong for you, and I shouldn't exist. But since I decided that I was going to go through hell thoroughly, I have not had one thought that was not about you. You are constantly on my mind, and I swear every other thought is about how much I love you and how I could never let you go again. Neither Heaven nor Hell could tear me away from you, my love. If I thought that losing you _then _was so terrible…" I felt him shudder beneath me. "I would not be able to endure it. I simply cannot lose you again. I know it's wrong, but I would risk thousands of lives to keep you alive and happy. You are my whole and entire life, and I am nothing without you. I _need _you." His episode had me speechless, breathless…but not tearless. They ran so fast down my sodden face that I had to gasp for air as I tried to breathe. It was perfect. My plan had worked. Better than I had ever could have hoped or imagined. His kind and fierce words had me knowing how much I didn't deserve him, how much I loved him and I shouldn't. But I did. And I always would, and he would always love me, too. Am I so charismatic that I'm just beginning to realize that he truly loves me, and would never, ever leave me? Am I _stupid?_ Obviously.

I did my best to focus on the simple rest of the plan. All I had to be sure of was that Marcus got the…feel of our relationship, and that Aro touched either Edward or Marcus. That was all.

"Edward, I…" I couldn't go on. I sobbed for a minute.

When he saw I regained a little bit of composure, he asked, "What is it?" very softly. The sound of such kindness for me was a physical pain. It tore at my heart in odd ways…

"I love you," I cried. "So much…" He had no idea how much. He probably never would.

"Bella," he said fiercely. "Don't say it like you're saying goodbye."

But I had to. Now that the hard part was over, I could say my goodbyes. Just in case.

You never know how much time you'll have.

"I love you," I repeated. "With my heart and soul…they're yours. _I'm _yours. I've been yours, since the very first moment I'd realized I love you. Forever and always, I will belong to you, and no one else. Please, please remember that. I love you." I was so close to losing it. And combined with the fact that I hadn't slept in so long, it was overwhelming. I started to feel dizzy…

He shook me gently, but with enough force that it kept me awake. "Stop it! Stop it right now!" he said urgently, but still gently. "I am _not _losing you! Do you understand me, Bella? Damn the Volturi! No matter what I have to do, I am getting us out of this. Then you and I can run away, and I can change you if you wish. Then we can get a small house in the middle of the country, and I can spend all of eternity in the sun with you. I will be able to love you forever. Damn it, Bella, we have to keep fighting. The fact that we are fighters is the only reason we're alive, is it not?" He paused, and I realized that he seemed to want an answer. I nodded feebly. "Right. So no more goodbyes—we don't need them. All we need is each other—nothing else on earth matters."

His strong words brought a confidence in me that I thought had been long lost. With this addition, it was like the icing on the cake—my plan might actually be able to work. All I could do now was pray that Alice would not see it…or if she did, to keep it to herself. She did not have to touch Aro, only Edward did.

"Welcome back," a voice said, almost making me cry out in panic—I bit my lip hard, but not hard enough to break the skin. I didn't need ravenous vampires after me to add to the list of horrors today.

"How was the wait? Not too long, I hope?" the voice continued. I realized it was Aro.

"It was fine," Edward replied sharply.

Aro chuckled. "Very well. I am not going to beat around the bush—I have brought Marcus with me here," he said, and with a jolt, I realized that he said this only for me. I wiped my tear-streaked face with the back of my hand. I sniffed.

Edward set me down unwillingly, though slithered his arms around my waist, supporting most of my weight. He hugged me so close to him that it hurt a little—but I was not about to complain.

"Give me a few moments," a soft voice murmured. I didn't recognize it.

"Take your time, Marcus," Aro responded. So that was what Marcus sounded like…

We stood there—where was "there," exactly? I had no idea—for what seemed like hours. It unnerved me to no end that I couldn't see with my own eyes the scene before me, to see if my plan was going well or not.

A soft rhythm of footsteps sounded quickly, and met with each other, then faltered. In my head, I saw Aro and Marcus moving toward each other, Aro reaching out to touch Marcus's hand to receive the information he desired…

After a minute or two, a strangled sound came from Aro's throat. Aro was…choking? What? That didn't make sense. Maybe if I listened harder…

"He can't handle very well how potent our love for each other is," Edward whispered, so quietly that no one else could have dreamed of hearing. I nodded slightly in understanding—Aro surely had never experienced real love, and after getting a taste of ours, it must have been unbearable for him. I almost laughed at the thought, but held my tongue—laughing at Aro's pain was not the smartest thing to do at the moment.

"Master?" Jane called out in panic.

"I am fine," Aro gasped. "Just…give me one moment please."

"Yes," she replied, worry in her dead monotone.

"Hmm…" someone murmured. "I see. Very well, then…this decision is not a very hard one to make, not at all," Marcus said, in a tone that implied he hadn't had to think too deeply into this.

Before he spoke again, Edward's stiff position next to me relaxed. I cocked my head slightly to the side. Did this mean…?

"Bella," Marcus said to me. His directness shocked me. "Bella, how much do you love Edward?" he asked.

I wasn't able to respond at first. "With all my heart and soul."

"Yes," he replied. "But I think that explanation is no where near close enough to how much you care for him."

I was speechless at this point.

"I am not sure if you are aware of this, but…a very long time ago, I was deeply in love. Rosemary and I were both immortal, and we planned to spend the rest of eternity side by side. But, one day, Rosemary and I were ambushed in our small home by another coven of vampires that had discovered us. We were living similarly to you, in peace with the humans. My love felt much peace there. She felt so horrid taking human lives to keep herself strong—she only fed when she felt absolutely obligated to, and she never once killed cruelly. This made her very, very weak. You see, when we were invaded, she hadn't fed for at least a month. Which is why she was…killed," he gasped the word, "in the first place. When they burned her, I had no choice but to run. There was no way I could save her, then." His voice was controlled, yet held such strong emotion. "Rosemary's death broke my heart. My life was a dark planet without her to brighten up the dark crevices for me. She was my savior, and I never truly thought I would be able to exist without her. Yet, here I am."

I felt the tears begin to well up in my tear ducts, and soon spilled over. My hands were shaking.

"How did you go on?" I whispered, voice trembling, yet I knew Marcus would hear me with clarity.

"It was very hard. But I began to think how my dear Rosemary would put me through hell if she ever knew I gave up on myself when—or if, at the time—she died. She would want me to move on, no matter how hard it could be. To this day, I feel like a zombie when I move. I feel like a monster when I feed. I feel that I take from this world, yet I haven't the power to give anything back. But when I first saw you and your Edward…" his voice trailed. "I was very surprised by the intensity of your relationship. I hadn't any idea that a love could be so strong—between a mortal and immortal, nonetheless! Never had I thought that one could love another more than I loved Rosemary. You two would more than obviously die for each other, right here and now, if we asked, am I correct? I shouldn't even have to ask—I can see it in Edward's eyes, in your expression." He paused. "But now I believe that I can finally give something back to this world. I can give you and Edward the chance to continue your relationship. I can make us, the Volturi, disappear from your lives forever. This is my chance to prove that even though vampires are the pure descendants from hell, that we have compassion and the power of love, just like a mortal. And with that, Bella, Edward, you have my blessing—go and be free, love each other for eternity."

He began to speak to someone else. "Aro, can't you see? Bella would never dare leak word of our devastating secret—she loves Edward and his family far too much to ever be able to give them up. I don't think it matters anymore whether or not they choose to turn her into one of the eternal damned—she should have a choice in the matter." He apparently turned back to us. "Bella, Edward…you shall have no more interruptions from us. You are free to roam this earth without our compensation."

My jaw hit the floor. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think.

There was a short silence as I tried to gather my sanity back together. Marcus lapsed back into silence. Would I ever hear him speak again? The thought was absurd—though I would be forever grateful to this kind stranger…

"Marcus has spoken," Aro said, cheerfully, yet with a tinge of disappointment marring his tone. "You may leave in peace."

Edward picked me up again, spun around, and began to run. I had no idea where he was taking me—I didn't care. Why should I care? I was with Edward! I am with Edward, we are going to live, and we are going to be all right. I sang those words like a song in my head.

My heart soared—Edward and I are free to live a life together without any more interference from the vampires of Volterra. But that thought was cut off suddenly, as my air supply was cut short. I gasped as Edward's mouth molded itself to mine in a glee that had me wanting to skip around whistling. I felt a smile on his lips as he deepened the kiss, making my heart pound a hole right through my rib cage.

So this was what it was like to be completely happy? The feeling was amazing. I felt as though I were flying.

"Edward!" I gasped when he let me breathe. "Edward, we're going to live!"

He laughed heartily, putting me down, but holding me so recklessly close. "Yes, Bella love. It's over. We are free of them." He buried his face in my hair.

I joined in on his contagious laughter—I couldn't help it. This was a time to rejoice. How could I possibly not be happy?

"You know what I want to do now?" I asked Edward, pulling back a little so he could see my expression.

"Oh? What might that be?" he asked, a smile in his voice.

"I want to go to our meadow," I confirmed, grinning.

"Yes, your heiness," he chuckled. But then he became silent. "Oh. Um…that may not be possible for a while," he admitted. "We're still being hunted down by werewolves."

I flinched as other memories flooded back to me. "Of course," I muttered. "I forgot about them."

"As did I, for a little bit. But Carlisle has a plan to get back on their good side," he explained. "Of course, we can never be sure…Alice couldn't see if they would agree. But she _did _see us back in our old home, in Forks. So that means that it most likely worked. Let's hope so."

I let out a gust of air I didn't know I was holding.

"Right," I agreed. "But…first things first. Just because we no longer have a deadline for my change, that doesn't mean that it isn't going to happen soon. My nineteenth birthday is soon," I realized with a sickening start. My head swam.

He sighed. "Alice says that we will still have the wedding…soon. We can still have it on August thirteenth," he explained, smoothing my hair with a hand. "Don't worry, love. I will not forget."

"I believe you," I said. "I was just…making sure," I explained.

"Okay. But can we please focus on getting home before we talk about this any more? You need sleep so very badly," he observed.

"Okay," I agreed easily.

I would have agreed to anything he had asked me. I am a silly, foolish girl who is far more than head over heels for a vampire. But, according to an old and wise vampire who is thousands of years old, the love Edward and I share is the most powerful he's seen yet. Can love truly overcome anything?

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**A/N Holy. Crap. That was **_**so**_** much longer than I ever expected it to be. But…was it good? I am **_**dying**_** to know, you have no idea! Please, please, please review and tell me! A couple of things. One, I used a quote from Melanie Stryder of The Host: "You never know how much time you'll have." It seemed very appropriate, and I give Stephenie Meyer full credit of the quote. **

**Two, I know that Marcus's mate was never really talked about, and her name was never revealed. But, for the sake of me not having to call her "her" and "his mate" all the time, I named her Rosemary. I hope no one has any problems with that. **

**Three, I know I haven't updated in a long time—two and a half weeks, maybe? I'm sorry! I haven't been home…I was literally dying because I couldn't write for this story. So I've rewarded you all with (I think) the longest chapter of this story so far! **

**And four, I deeply hope that there are no slips of Bella being able to see. I know that very early in writing this chapter, I was getting so carried away, and when I reread it later, she was able to see Edward. I've reread this a few times, but I always tend to make mistakes. If that did ever happen, please tell me, and I'll fix it immediately. **

**So, to end this supremely long authors note…PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Well, that was good! Everyone apparently likes Marcus now. :D lol. I just hope that the rest of the story will live up to your expectations… **

**So sorry that I haven't updated! So many things have been happening, and Emily and co. have been stealing me on the days I've been free…and, of course, she doesn't let me write. And school's started, too. Fun, right? And I've had writers block anyway, to top that all off. No more excuses. **

**BREAKING DAWN SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read Breaking Dawn, do not read this! One more thing. I have read Breaking Dawn…in the beginning, it was far too fast-paced. The wedding was rushed, and then Jacob made a surprise visit. Not at all how I would've imagined it. And then with Renesmee…none of it made sense, and I seriously wanted to stop reading the book after part one. Especially when I saw the second part was in Jacob's POV. I didn't read it for a few days, and I was so disappointed. But then I didn't have anything else to read, and I thought, 'Well, I bought it anyway. Mind as well read it.' So I did. Part two was also crappy in my opinion. But as soon as the third part came round, I couldn't stop reading it. The ending was very suckish, but only because of that last page: The End. That bothered the CRAP out of me. But oh well. Edward stayed true to his character, and that's all that matters. We still have Midnight Sun to look forward to. :) **

**I was worrying, after I read it, about how many people would continue to read this story. When I thought about it, I should have written out the wedding scene before reading the book. And a few other select parts that were in there. But I still have the image about what I wanted this story to be about clear in my head, and if anything's similar, well, then, Stephenie and I think alike. I really hope no one will stop reading this story now that the book's out, as I will continue to write it. **

**NOW I am finished ranting. Onward! **

**(PS. This chapter starts immediately after the last one, just in Edward's POV.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING except for this amazing plot.**

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**Edward's POV**

My love snuggled her face into my shoulder, sighing sleepily. I gripped her tighter, never planning on letting go. I dug my face into her hair again, and took a deep breath—she smelled divine.

"I love you," I whispered to her.

She mumbled something in what must have been asset, and I could tell she was already half asleep. I smiled. Nothing was lovelier than my Bella in a deep slumber.

Her breathing deepened, and I then knew she was asleep. I moved carefully, making sure not to jostle her in any way.

After the confrontation with the Volturi, I had carried Bella a few miles away from the hotel we were at. Not my brightest idea, but I needed to get her and I away from there, away from the demons that I knew would most likely try to repossess us someday. A frown crossed my expression. I tried to blank those thoughts out for now, and I concentrated on getting Bella back to my car. I had driven it out here in my rush with Carlisle to get here, figuring that Bella would be most comfortable in my Volvo.

I ran as quickly as I possibly could through the night, pushing myself faster than my normal limits were. I crouched over my sleeping angel so that I could protect her from the worst of the wind.

Though the run seemed as though it were in slow motion, I was at my car in fourteen seconds. Not bad, I thought mildly. I shook my head at myself.

I shifted Bella's weight automatically to my left arm, so I could open the passenger side door with my right and recline the seat back to she would be laying almost horizontally. I grabbed a few blankets that I had stashed in the backseat—Alice had told me to bring them for Bella—and laid one of them over the seat, lay Bella on top of that, put the other two blankets over her, and buckled her in securely.

I shut the door quietly, and was in the driver's seat starting the engine before a full two seconds had passed. After all, I _was _trying to be quiet.

The car purred to life, and I took off before my family's thoughts could disturb me for too long. I didn't want to be with them right now, as much as I loved them—I needed to be with my love, asleep or not. She would be upset if she thought I hadn't been there the whole night with her.

I pulled into the nearest airport, and pulled out my cell phone. I _would_ just go inside and see when the flight times were, but I didn't want to have to move Bella yet. I dialed the number, and the line rang.

It turned out that there was a flight going to Port Angeles from here in half an hour. I said my thanks and hung up.

I knew that I could easily drive or even run with Bella back home, but I figured that the plane would take much less time, and I did not want to risk having Bella wake up if I were to run. And a plane would be more comfortable for her.

I grabbed my keys, shoved them in my pocket, and made my way over to gently take Bella out of the car. I wrapped her in one of the blankets, and picked her up again. She groaned contentedly and squirmed in her sleep.

"Mmm…" she mumbled. "No, Alice, no! Edward, help! Save me from…shopping…" she trailed incoherently, but I was grinning. I needed to keep her away from Alice a little more. Her troubled face became once again peaceful.

I carried her out of my car and into the port. It wasn't too busy—but there were still enough people that I had to block their minds out because they were quite annoying. The noise settled into an oddly calming humming in the back of my mind. It was comforting. Familiar.

I maneuvered through the small crowd, ignoring the young lady's stares. I only had eyes for my Bella. It was quite pathetic how those females seemed to ignore the fact that I was staring lovingly at the strikingly gorgeous female that I was holding. I rolled my eyes.

When I got to the counter to pay for our tickets, the woman there's eyes just about came out of their sockets when she laid eyes on me. I groaned internally. Not again.

"Hello," I said briskly, annoyance layering my tone. "Two tickets for the next flight to Port Angeles, Washington."

"Y-yes," she stammered. "Of course."

She stared down at her computer, not needing anymore assistance from me. I looked back down at Bella's motionless form.

_Boy, is he gorgeous,_ the girl who was selling the tickets thought. _It's too bad he's got a girl in his arms. But the way he looks at her…_ She shot a look up at me quickly, then her eyes went back down. She sighed internally. _I just wish somebody would look at _me _like that…_ Her thoughts trailed off, and I fought harder to block them. I didn't need to feel pity for this girl.

She handed me my tickets, and I set off to our plane. As we passed through the "Security Checkpoint" as some might call it, I had to persuade the man to let me carry Bella through the metal detectors. He agreed grudgingly, eying our bagless state. When he was positive that I was clean, I carried Bella through. I nodded my thanks and moved on.

Twenty minutes later, the plane lifted from the sky. Tilting upwards first, and then settling into a horizontal position. I was glad that Bella didn't get motion sickness—that saved me from having to wake her up and ask her to take medicine.

I laid her head on my lap, and stroked her long, mahogany hair. I ran my fingertips over the planes of her face, feeling the electric shock of warmth that left in them. I stared at my hand wonderingly, twisting it this way and that. Then, a second and a half later, I looked back to Bella. She was so beautiful that there were no words. My breath caught in my throat.

No, I had no right to this marvelous creature in my arms. And yet, here she was, cradled in my lap with me stroking her hair. I was a monster for taking her life away from her like this, always endangering it, always having her life in peril.

But what could I do to change that? Leave? Never again. I shuddered as the crystal-clear memories poured through my head. Her face as I lied and told her I didn't want her—my face mirrored in the reflection in her eyes, hard and cold and unloving—the dark cellars I hid in—the way I let the misery consume me, her perfect face behind my lids every time I closed my eyes…

Bella stirred under my hand, and I was abruptly brought back to the present. "Mmm…" she breathed, then sighed happily. "I love you too, Edward…"

There was a tugging at my un-beating heart, but it was not an uncomfortable feeling. I was swelling with joy.

But those words also brought with them a great sorrow. I should have stayed out of her life. I should have never interfered with her perfect, untouched innocence. Yet I had to taint her perfect soul with my devil's mark. I wanted to slap myself in the face. No, much worse than that. What had I done to her?

And yet, the need to be with her was so vital and strong that it could not be ignored. I could _not_ go back and erase my existence, and she _had _fallen in love with me as I had her, and we _are _going to get married soon. I sighed. Married. To me the word meant peace, joy, an everlasting life with the one you hold dearest to your heart, the one you cannot live without. Uncovered bliss.

But to Bella…the word meant a living hell. She did not want to share this with her parents, yet we both knew she had to. But I would be there with her, always by her side, helping her in her time of need. I wouldn't leave her to do that alone.

I knew I was selfish. I knew it was wrong. But I couldn't leave her again—I would surely die from that pain of that alone. The thought of it twisted my stomach and made my face pinch up.

To calm myself, I studied her smooth, peaceful face. Her eyes were closed, and her eyelids were paler then the rest of her skin. A perfect cream color. I touched one softly, and felt how smooth it was. Her nose was perfectly straight, so small, but it matched her features perfectly. Her full lips were luscious and always on the verge of pulling into a smile, at least in her sleep tonight—as I thought of that, she grinned in her sleep. My fingers trailed to her lips, and I remembered how it felt to kiss them. Her cheeks were a faint red, as they always would be, at least while she's human. Also remembering her blush made a fuzzy feeling churn in my stomach—her cheeks would always turn a marvelous rose color, and it was gorgeous. I knew I would miss that warmth when she was immortal.

I can't believe how she had convinced me to turn her immortal. I was full steam ahead for keeping her human, for letting her have a soul, to keep her human friends and family she held so dear. She would not choose the half-human, half-werewolf man instead of me. She loved me so much as to give me that, no matter how much it hurt her. I sighed, knowing that now neither of us could live without the other, bringing my thoughts back to her being immortal soon.

Bella would never be the same. I couldn't see her like that—cold, dead, sparkling…bloodthirsty. I honestly could not imagine her without the blush to her skin or without the beats to her heart, but I knew that I would be the cruel beast who took those things away from her. I would be the one killing her.

I flinched, playing with her hair again. I couldn't stop it now. No matter what, I had to change Bella. Because of the careless mistakes I had made in the past, my darling could not see. A flash of anger and hate toward myself flared. I took one of the most important necessities of survival away from her, with one stupid mistake. I couldn't bring myself to blame anyone but me—not Alice, not Bella. Alice hadn't seen it, I knew—I read her mind as she saw Bella coming home happily, grinning at how excited she had been during her ride. And I could not blame Bella, either—especially not her. I had always known that she's accident prone, and I should have guessed that something like this would happen.

How could I deny her when she pled with me so? She knows the power she has against me, and I know she doesn't like to use it, but the need for her to be with me forever is apparently so strong she's willing to have me kill her, and to make her a bloodthirsty beast who will always want nothing less than just that—blood.

The flight attendant announced that we should all make sure our seatbelts were fastened because we were about to land. I sat Bella up and buckled her in tight.

-:-:-:-:-:-

I was deep in the forest, running Bella back to my house, when I heard three sets of murderously angry thoughts. I cussed under my breath. I saw the forest around them in their minds, and I knew they were coming for me.

I heard the faint patter of paws against the forest floor, quite close, and I stopped running. It was better to get this confrontation over with, I decided. I didn't want anyone else involved, so I waited for the wolves to catch up with me. We were right about at the border.

_Hey! Bloodsucker! I know you can hear me. You'd better have a freaking good explanation for why your kind was on our turf, _Jacob thought to me.

The three wolves—Jacob, Quil, and Paul—were perched in ready-crouches some fifty feet in front of where I stood. Jacob was doing his best not to stare at Bella's inert form, and failed entirely.

_Why is she…?_ Jacob's thoughts trailed, and I heard a growl forming in his throat. The stupid wolf thought that I had bitten her.

"I didn't bite her," I told him. "She's sleeping. She had a very long day."

He calmed down a bit, but didn't loosen his stance. _You didn't answer my first question. _

"Alice wasn't paying attention. She didn't realize where she was. She meant no harm," I explained calmly.

_If she didn't want to do anything, why'd the other one come?_ he snarled.

"Jasper came because Alice called for him—"

_Exactly. She called for reinforcements. _

"No," I said, getting just a little irritated. "She was falling off a cliff, and she wasn't keen for falling."

_She would have been fine. _

"Yes, but if you were about to fall off of a cliff, wouldn't you like help, too?"

_Bella didn't tell you that we cliff dive? Find a better excuse, _he spat mentally.

"Alice isn't into the extreme sports. Please, I know that you are biased in this area, but she meant no harm at all," I said, trying to reason with the unreasonable. This was going to be impossible…

_Then why did she and that other leech run away? _he yelled.

"She was scared. She didn't want to die right then."

_She knew we would follow her. That means she has something up her sleeve! _

"Alice isn't planning anything. I would know." I pointed to my temple. I was doing my best to keep my tone light, as to not wake up Bella.

_I can't trust you. _

"Why not? Have I ever lied to you in the past? I know you hate me, but you've got to believe that I wouldn't lie to you. I owe you too much," I whispered, though I knew he could hear me.

Just then, Bella stirred again, and her heartbeat increased. She was waking up.

"Please, just let me take Bella home, then I'll come right back," I pled. I didn't want her to be here when she woke up fully. She would be wondering why I was talking to myself, and I didn't want to tell her.

_You're not going anywhere, _he snarled, taking a step forward.

Was he crazy? He wanted to start a fight with Bella in my arms? I took a step away automatically. His lips twisted into a feral snarl.

"Mmm," Bella moaned again, trying to stretch with what little room the cage of my arms gave her. "Morning, Edward," she mumbled. She reached up to rub her eyes.

The wolves all froze, looking at each other uneasily. No, they had not seen Bella since before the accident. Their thoughts were all jumbled together.

"Good morning, love," I whispered to her. "Please, try to go back to sleep. You need it."

"Why? I'm not tired anymore. And I want to spend time with you," she cooed, reaching up to kiss me.

It took all the power I had, but, remembering our audience, I put one finger to her lips. "Not now," I said in her ear, so low that not even the wolves would have a chance of hearing. "I'm taking care of something right now."

"Like what?" she asked quietly, matching my low tone confusedly.

"Just be quiet for a few minutes, and I'll explain everything when we get home."

She nodded uneasily, and grew still in my arms. I hugged her closer to my chest.

"Any other questions?" I asked, louder this time, so the wolves could hear.

_Can I see Bella? _Jacob asked quietly, in the back of his head, wanting to see her, but terrified of doing it.

I considered, not thinking it would do _too _much harm. But it would hurt Bella so much…

Jacob growled sharply in annoyance, because I hadn't answered him yet. Bella noticed.

"What was that noise?" she asked, frightened. "Edward, where are we?"

"Shh, Bella, it's okay," I soothed her. I rubbed my thumb across her forehead.

_Well tell her! _Jacob exclaimed. _Or I'll phase back and tell her anyway. _

I sighed in frustration. I nodded to him.

"Bella?" I asked. She lifted her head, showing she was listening. "Would you like to see someone?"

She hesitated. "Who?"

"Jacob," I said, looking at him and back to Bella quickly.

"He's here?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes. And if you wouldn't mind, he would like to see you."

"Okay," she mouthed, her voice having no volume.

I set her down carefully, catching her when she wobbled. I waited till she could stand straight, and held her until Jacob came back out of the trees in human form.

His eyes never left Bella. Her eyes were blinking rapidly, and I could just guess what she was thinking. She wanted to be able to see Jacob for herself, and not have to depend on trying to hear his near-silent footsteps to see if he was really there. My hands clenched into fists as I tried to control the unyielding pain that shot through my body.

Jacob looked at me for half a second, signaling for me to let go. I unwillingly released my grip on Bella and took the smallest step away from her.

"Jacob?" she whispered.

"Right here, Bells," he said, gesturing to himself. Then he remembered that she wouldn't notice, and his arms dropped as I felt the agony sear through him, too.

Oh, the stupid mistakes I make. If I hadn't left Bella, they wouldn't have fallen in love, too. My nose wrinkled as his smell grew stronger as he advanced.

Bella stumbled toward his voice, and when she tripped, he automatically caught her. She hugged him tightly, sobbing into his chest. He pulled her closer to his chest, burying his face into her hair. I looked away.

"I missed you," Bella whispered, voice cracking. A pang shot through my chest as his heart swelled.

"I missed you too," he replied, trying to keep hold on himself. "How've things been?" he choked out.

"Horrible…terrifying…happy." She added the last word, probably remembering how the Volturi left us alone.

Jacob didn't respond. I didn't want to look back at them, so I intruded on the other wolves' thoughts to keep me away from temptation and pain.

_I can't believe Jake's letting this chick tear him apart like this. I don't think I've ever seen him weak in the knees before. He has to get over her, soon…it wouldn't be good for him to have to fight against her instead of protecting her if that time ever comes, which I'm sure it will. The treaty's a fragile thing… _Paul pondered.

I flinched.

_Look at what Bella's doing to him…even she should know better than to keep coming back to him when she's marrying Edward…she's going to kill Jake someday, and there's no way we can stop it. If Edward would do a better job at keeping her away, maybe Jake could get over her faster. _Quil shot a glare to me. He twitched, wanting to fight more than anything right now, though knowing he couldn't. He puffed out a sigh.

"I'm so sorry," Bella said, tears choking her voice. Had I missed part of their conversation?

"Don't apologize to me…it wasn't your fault." _It was his, _Jacob thought, his internal voice like the crack of a whip. I cringed. I could guess what I had missed.

I finally looked back at Bella and Jacob. They were still embraced, but Jacob was now trying to peel her off of him.

_If I stay with her much longer, I won't be able to leave, _Jacob thought to himself, momentarily forgetting about me.

"I have to go," Jacob told her. "I'm supposed to meet Sam at Emily's house for a pack meeting," he said, and as he thought of it, he nodded toward Quil and Paul, signaling for them to call a meeting.

Quil nodded his great head, and he was gone in seconds, Paul on his tail.

"Oh," Bella said. "Of course. Go. Um…have fun," she said, trying to show enthusiasm, and trying to stop her tears. It was nearly impossible to keep myself from going over there and wiping the stray tears from her cheeks, to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. I choked on an unneeded breath.

Jacob let go of Bella, and rushed off after his friends. I gathered Bella's form in my arms as I silently raced off to my…_our _house.

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**A/N Hmm…interesting…maybe Jacob will finally leave them alone, eh? Then again, probably not. So I rewarded your patience with another chapter! Am I good or what? It only took me…around three months-ish maybe! I didn't exactly count…anyway, I hope it's good, pleaseeeee tell me before I EXPLODE. **

**Let's see…I want…fifteen reviews! And I'll think about updating. Haha. Don't be expecting it too soon though…you know the drill. ; **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Whoo hoo! I got like nineteen reviews for the last chapter! YAY! I love you guys. ;D **

**Disclaimer: I own everything. In my dreams. **

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**Bella's POV**

"What was that all about?" I asked, when Edward laid me on his bed. I sat up, leaning against something soft. Pillows. I wiped the back of my hand under my eyes, trying to get rid of the excess tears.

"The wolves wanted to talk. I think we will be fine now," Edward explained in a restrained voice. I nodded.

"How long was I out for?" I whispered. I didn't remember falling asleep, but the last thing I remember is when Edward was holding me, somewhere in Oregon.

"Not that long. Only about four hours. Which is why you need to go back to sleep," he said, picking me up and laying me under the covers swiftly, tucking me in. He kissed my forehead.

"But I'm not—"

"Don't even try to tell me you're not tired, Bella. You've only slept four hours in the last twenty four. Please, sleep. For me." I knew how his eyes blazed when he used that tone, and I sighed. I turned over, so I was lying on my stomach.

"I'll try," I muttered, knowing I wouldn't be able to fall asleep with Edward here. I wasn't about to admit that I was a _little_ tired.

"Thank you," he said, climbing on the bed next to me. He coaxed my chin up with his finger, and pressed his lips to mine for a moment. My heart sputtered painfully in my chest. His sweet breath filled my lungs.

My lids drooped heavily, and I wasn't able to kiss him back with as much passion as I wished. I let my head drop back on the pillow, and he sighed. I snuggled closer to him, and fell asleep again quickly.

Edward and I had come up with a system. Since I couldn't read notes now, he had to find a way to write me notes. So he wrote them indented, in print instead of his usual cursive, so I could trace my fingers over the note and I could feel what letters made up what words. Since I hadn't felt the need to try and learn brail, this is what we decided on.

Of course, he'd only left once since the accident. So when I woke up in the morning (or afternoon or nighttime, whichever it was) and felt that he wasn't there, I panicked.

Then I felt something adhering to my forehead, and I reached up warily to peel it off. A sticky note. I traced my fingers over it, deciphering the words.

_I had to hunt, but I will be back very soon. If you need anything at all, Alice is home. I love you. –Edward. _

I sighed, calming down a little. At least he was hunting. I figured it was torture to hold me when he hadn't hunted in so long. But I hadn't really thought about it, because I haven't seen his eyes turning darker with each passing day.

I carefully lifted myself up, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I waited till I wasn't dizzy, then I stood up and found my way to the door.

"Alice?" I called out.

"Yes, Bella?" a soft, tinkling voice chimed from a few feet in front of me.

"Good morning," I said, and stretched my arms out for a hug. She embraced me, then helped me downstairs.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Alice asked, and I heard a faint shuffling sound. Cupboards being opened?

"Um…" I paused. "French toast…if you can," I added. I wasn't sure how educated she was in the art of cooking.

"Of course I can make French toast. I took a cooking course in one of my many years of college," she said, a smile in her voice. I rolled my eyes. Of course she did. Just one more thing to add to the list of things she's best at.

A few minutes later, I heard the sound of a plate being set on the table in front of me. The steam rose, and the sweet smell filled my lungs.

"Mmm," I moaned. "This smells delicious."

"Would you like syrup?" she asked.

I nodded, and when she handed me a fork, I dug in. The food hit my belly funny, probably because I hadn't eaten in so long.

"Thank you," I said, when she took my plate away. I heard the sink run briefly.

"No problem, Bella," she said, some strong emotion in her tone. I furrowed my brows together, but didn't question her.

"So what do you want to do today?" Alice asked.

"Um…I don't know…what do you want to do?" I asked. I then realized my mistake. "Nothing where I have to come within three miles of a mall, department store, or even a grocery store." I crossed my arms across my chest. "No shopping."

She sighed, defeated. "Fine." She thought for a moment. "We're getting facials and nails done," she decided, and I heard a small clap. She squealed, probably at a vision she had, and she took my hand, pulling me somewhere.

"Let's find you something to wear!" she exclaimed. I groaned. _Whatever makes her happy,_ I chanted in my head, remembering the last time I had thought this again and again.

She pushed my shoulders down, and I was sat on a bed. Most likely Alice's.

"Hmm…" she murmured. "Casual or fashionably fit?" She must have glanced at me. "Fashionably fit," she decided, and I heard the faint patter of clothes hitting the floor.

I wasn't listening anymore. I was in my happy place, with Edward. I wondered what he was doing right now, what he was thinking right at this very second. Was he attacking a mountain lion? I shuddered. Is he wondering what I'm doing, wondering what _I'm_ thinking? Does he miss me as much as I miss him? Maybe he was too lost in his hunt to care. When is he coming home again?

"Alice?" I asked.

She sighed impatiently. I just realized that she had been talking, and I had been ignoring her. "Yes?"

"When's Edward coming home?" I asked, longing clear in my tone.

"He'll be here again at around eight tonight," she replied, and I nodded, slumping a little. "Aw, come on," she whined. "You can have fun without him!"

I shook my head miserably. "No I can't."

"Yes you can! You've just never tried."

"Because I don't want to try."

"Well, you should. You're going to have to get used to him not being here all the time."

I frowned, and my heart skipped a beat. "I am?"

She hesitated, like she just said something she shouldn't have. "Um…yeah. You like pink, right? I was thinking about putting you in a light pink tank top, and putting an almost see-through deep blue blouse over it…" she said, and, like she probably wanted to do, she distracted me.

"Do you have to get so…_fancy_ about it? We're just going to get facials! We're not going clubbing or out to dinner or something!" I exclaimed.

"But you have to look fabulous while doing it! Bella, you know me. I always go all-out. So stop complaining."

She had a point. There was no stopping Alice when there was something she wanted.

"Whatever," I mumbled, falling back so I was lying on the bed. "But if you take one picture of me, so help me Alice, you will regret it once I'm a vampire."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, a smile in her voice. "You're all talk and no show. I don't believe you."

"Oh?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "We'll see about that."

She giggled. I rolled my eyes.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The facials weren't as bad as I had feared. It felt nice, actually. And my skin feels satin-smooth now.

The manicure and pedicures weren't that bad, either. I don't know what they look like, but Alice told me that they had just put a clear coat on, French-tipped them, then put on a little swirl design. That was the only picture I let her take, because I wanted to see how they turned out, even if I wouldn't see for a while.

Now I lay here on Edward's bed, sprawled out, thinking about what I would say when he returned. I just asked Alice what time it is, and she said it was seven thirty-eight. Only twenty-two minutes left till Edward comes home. I smiled.

I felt my eyes drooping. _No,_ I ordered myself internally. _Don't you want to see Edward tonight? If he sees you asleep, he won't wake you up,_ I reminded myself. My eyes shot open. I lay there for a while, just thinking.

"Ahh," a familiar voice cooed softly, coming from somewhere near the doorway. "Bella."

"Edward!" I sang, and I shot up, running for him.

Before I could fall or completely miss my target, he caught me in a cool embrace. He pulled me tightly against his chest, burrowing his face in my hair.

"I missed you," I whispered, tightening my arms. "So much."

"You have no idea how much I missed you," he responded, and I smiled.

I pulled away a tiny bit, stretching up on my tip-toes, and I glued my mouth to his. His hands pressed against my lower back, a low moan escaping his throat. I wound my arms around his neck, bringing his head lower, easier for me to reach. Without breaking the kiss, I tried to turn him around so I could push him against the bed, so he would be sitting on it. He realized what I wanted, and let me do as I wished, and he helped by making sure I aimed for the bed and not the floor.

When he was sitting down, I put my hands on his shoulders, and I sat straddled his lap, facing him. I grinned.

I put my hand on either side of his face, and, ever so slowly, I brought my lips to his. I moved really slow, hoping to drive him insane. I smiled to myself.

"Bella," he murmured around my lips. "Be careful," he warned, though he didn't make any move to get away from me.

Then he took control again, and he broke away from me. He kissed my forehead, then my temple, my cheek, my nose, the corners of my mouth. He kissed my lips once softly, then moved down to my neck. I pulled him closer.

He then decided that he'd had enough. He sighed, picking me up with ease and placing me next to him on the bed. I flopped back again, agitated.

"Is something wrong?" Edward asked quietly, brushing his fingers across the planes of my face.

"Stupid boundaries," I muttered, and he didn't respond. Probably couldn't think of a rational reason why we couldn't go further. At least until after the wedding, that is…

He chuckled and began to hum my lullaby. He wrapped me in the comforter, hugged me close, and I was soon dozing in the beautiful sanctuary of my true love's arms.

* * *

**A/N Finally. Geez. It took me forever to get this done. ;) I really like that last line, though, don't you? :) I'm listening to the song Bubbly by Colbie Caillat, which probably helped with that a little. lol. Anyway…**

**Not very exciting, yeah, I know. But I have an issue—I have writer's block again! Every fanfiction reader's worst fear, right? There's an easy solution to this, though—I would like to ask you lovely readers to review this chapter, and give me one little teensy idea to carry this on with. Just one! That's all I ask. It doesn't even have to be good. When I look at it, my thoughts could get going, and I would give you all the credit for giving me the idea. So, please, review! **

**Hugs and kisses! Thanks everyone! **


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